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UNC Charlotte : the magazine of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for alumni and friends

UNC Charlotte : the magazine of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for alumni and friends

UNCCharlotte The magazine of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Winter/Spring • 2017
3 Colleges,
1 Community Collaboration
University addresses community
mental health needs
Confucius Institute Broadens
University’s Global Reach
Nonprofit will expand educational,
cultural options
Turning the Page
for the Student
of Tomorrow
The Cato College of Education:
For over fifty years, change has
become a key component of
UNC Charlotte’s institutional
DNA. From our establishment in
1946 as the Charlotte Center of
the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill through our evolution as
Charlotte College (1949-1964) and
then as the fourth campus of the UNC
system (1965 to present), the only
constant we have experienced has been
constant change.
Of course, some changes have been
more important than others, such
as our development from being an
institution with a very concentrated
campus-based teaching mission to one
that today reflects a complex mix of
teaching on campus and off (in person
and on-line), research and technology
transfer, economic development and
cultural enhancement, and community
engagement. And changes in our mission
have resulted over time in changes to
our inventory of baccalaureate, master’s,
certificate, and doctoral programs, and
increases in the numbers of faculty and
staff necessary to adequately meet our
current mission obligations as “North
Carolina’s urban research university.”
With these changes have come
a staggering increase in student
enrollment and dramatic alterations
and additions to the physical campus,
including our academic and student
support buildings, road infrastructure,
and campus grounds. My predecessor,
Chancellor Jim Woodward, used to say
that if UNC Charlotte wanted to be
thought of as a major research university,
then we would have to look like one.
Over the course of the past twelve years
of my chancellorship, we have been
dedicated to meeting that challenge,
with more than $1.2B in expenditures
on new construction and renovation.
As we continue over the next several
years with implementing what we call
the “Five Year Master Capital Plan,” we
look forward to additional investments
approaching $350 million.
Over the course of the next year,
visitors to the campus will notice the
tangible results of these investments.
Here are updates on some of
those projects:
New and Renovated
Academic Facilities
A large and complex project is under
way to renovate the historic academic
core of the campus, which includes the
Barnard, Denny, Garinger, Macy, and
Winningham buildings. These facilities
are among the oldest on our campus and
most in need of important infrastructure
upgrades (e.g., HVAC, electrical, new
windows) and a variety of aesthetic
improvements (e.g., carpeting, paint,
classroom and office furnishings). We
began this multi-year project over the
2016 holiday break with the Denny
Building and hope to have that ready for
occupancy by the time classes begin in
August. Notably, favorable contracting
bids on this project will permit us to
clad the exterior of the building in
brick (a research university can never
have enough brick!) and thereby bring
Denny into our architectural family.
After Denny is complete, we will move
on to Macy and Barnard, and then on to
Garinger and Winningham, finishing all
five buildings by December 2018.
While actual renovation
construction has begun in the historic
academic core, the new Science
Building, funded by last year’s
successful Connect NC bond measure,
is in the schematic design phase. This
much needed facility will include
teaching and research labs, classrooms,
student collaborative spaces, faculty
offices, and administrative and student
support areas. The project also includes
a modern data center for the campus
and a regional utility plant. We expect
the building to be completed and
ready in time for classes in fall 2020.
(Drawings of some of these new
facilities appear on pages 28-29.)
[ CHANCELOR' S LETTER ]
Change Enriches
UNC Charlotte
“the only constant we
have experienced has been
constant change.”
Continued on page 47
Contents UNC Charlotte Magazine • Winter/Spring • 2017
22 Lost & Found
Charlotte-area dance enthusiasts were treated
to a rare performance at Robinson Hall that
featured the work of internationally renowned
choreographer Paul Taylor. Last seen in 1964,
“Tracer” not only thrilled the sold-out crowd
but also capped an 18-month reconstruction
project led by associate professor of dance
Kim Jones.
26 Confucius Institute Broadens
University’s Global Reach
A Confucius Institute will open at UNC
Charlotte in summer 2017 to broaden the
University’s outreach and support for language
instruction and cultural opportunities in the
Charlotte community.
30 3 Colleges,
1 Community Collaboration
Three UNC Charlotte colleges have
formed an interdisciplinary partnership
to confront a growing, but largely unmet,
need in the Charlotte community. It is the
first such initiative in the country and has
become a national model for other colleges
and universities.
34 Compute This!
Much of Niner Nation knows 49ers
football standout Larry Ogunjobi from his
impressive career as a defensive lineman. Yet,
summarizing his career at UNC Charlotte only
by his work on the football field would capture
half the story.
12 Teaching for Tomorrow
UNC Charlotte has long been a respected producer of top teachers,
counselors and school leaders, especially in the Charlotte region. That standing
received a major endorsement when the Cato Corporation generously invested
in education at UNC Charlotte. Invigorated by a $5 million gift, the
Cato College of Education embraces
its role as a leader in the region.
FEATURES
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 1
Contents UNC Charlotte
FEATURES
36 Bank of America
Makes Generous Gift
to Exponential
Bank of America is committing
$1.5 million to the Exponential
Campaign to support research
at UNC Charlotte in the Data
Science Initiative and to sponsor
a series of marquee lectures at
the University.
PROFILES
38 Public Service Passion
Many UNC Charlotte alumni
serve in public office on city,
county, state and national
levels. They’ve paved the way
for a number of UNC Charlotte
students to follow their footsteps.
44 The Art of Student Affairs
Set to retire this summer, Art
Jackson reflects on his time as
vice chancellor of student affairs
and his decade of service to the
students of UNC Charlotte.
54 Improving Lives
Beyond Campus
The Association of Public and
Land-grant Universities has
designated UNC Charlotte
an Innovation and Economic
Prosperity University.
48
DEPARTMENTS
5 News Briefs
18 49ers Notebook
28 Center Stage
42 Memorial
52 Alumni Update
56 Class Notes
59 Giving
61 Perspective 44
Art
Jackson
48 Front & Center
The UNC Charlotte “Pride of Niner Nation” Marching Band
provides a heartbeat and soul to all home football games
in Jerry Richardson Stadium. Get to know a few members
of the band in these student profiles.
2 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ B Y THE NUMBERS ]
Alumni: Building a Legacy
Alumni have been generous to UNC Charlotte in many ways, including gifts to boost facilities and programs.
A college, four buildings and a promenade on campus have been named in honor of 49er alumni.
Hunter and Stephanie
Edwards Promenade
Named for Hunter (’88) and Stephanie
(’86) Edwards, the promenade was
dedicated on Aug. 28, 2015. It houses
broadcast booths and University
coaches and media boxes at Jerry
Richardson Stadium.
Hauser Alumni Pavilion
Named after David (’77) and Nancy
(’77) Hauser, the pavilion is the home
of Alumni Tailgate Village during
football season. It was dedicated on
Sept. 26, 2015.
Johnson Band Center
Named after Vickie (’71) and Gene
Johnson (’73), the 6,700-square-foot
center is home to the UNC Charlotte
“Pride of Niner Nation” Marching
Band. The center was dedicated on
Oct. 21, 2015.
Jamil Niner Student Pantry
Named after Dhiaa (’78) and Hope
Jamil, the pantry benefits students
who struggle with food security. The
pantry was dedicated Aug. 31, 2016.
Karen A. Popp and Demond
T. Martin Student Union
Named after Karen A. Popp (’80) and
Demond T. Martin (’97), the Student
Union was dedicated on Sept. 22,
2016, as part of the Exponential
Campaign Kick-Off. At nearly 200,000
square feet, the facility serves as the
epicenter of campus.
Cato College of Education
Named for the Cato Corporation and
John Cato (’73), the Cato College of
Education was dedicated on Nov. 11,
2016. The college is the No. 1 producer
of newly licensed teachers in the state,
according to the UNC Educator Quality
Dashboard. For more on the college,
see this issue’s cover story.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 3
Volum e 24, Num ber 1
Stephen Ward
Executive Director of
University Communication
Editor
John D. Bland
Senior Director for
Public Relations & News Services
Associate Editors
Phillip Brown
Susan Shackelford
News Editor
Jared Moon
Contributing Writers
Phillip Brown
Wills Citty
Clark Curtis
Jennifer Howe
Shelly Theriault Muhl
Melba Newsome
Paul Nowell
Lynn Roberson
Michael J. Solender
Tom Whitestone
Staff Photograp her
Wade Bruton
Design & Produc tion
SPARK Publications
UNC Charlotte is published by
The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd.,
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
ISSN 10771913
Editorial offices:
110 Foundation Annex
The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte
8734 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223
704.687.7214
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Printed on
recycled paper
17,500 copies of this
publication were printed
at a cost of $.54 per piece,
for a total cost of $9,375.
Working on this edition has
reminded me how much we get
to say about UNC Charlotte
in 60 pages. Granted, we could publish
100 pages or more and still not cover all
the terrific people and programs at work
on our campus and in the community.
Yet, as we have expanded the page count
of this magazine, we have the opportunity
to depict an even broader snapshot of
the University.
In this edition, you will read about
topics as varied as campus construction,
the education of future teachers,
intercollegiate sports, resurrection of
a long lost modern dance classic, an
interdisciplinary community program to
aid people with mental health needs, and
a look at the importance of developing
critical thinking skills. You will also find
content about a new partnership to
expand education about Chinese culture,
profiles of interesting people – marching band members, a young alum pursuing pro football
and computer science, generous donors – a memorial to a legendary educator, and quite a
bit more. In sum, this edition gives you another snapshot of a dynamic University driven by
exceptional people making an exponential impact.
Thanks for reading!
Regards
John D. Bland, Editor
Senior Director for Public
Relations & News Services
[ e d ito r 's d esk ]
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is open to people of all races and is committed to
equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students or
employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability.
Exponential Impact
4 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
News Briefs www.UNCC.edu
By Shelly Theriault Muhl
Bioinformatics graduate student
Mohammed Zwayyer is one of nearly
225,000 UNC system students
preparing for a career. Zwayyer knows today’s
competitive professional landscape requires
even more than academic performance.
In 2013, the UNC system Faculty Advisory
Council to the UNC Strategic Directions
Committee published a paper “Our University,
Our Future,” noting “We must strive to prepare
the citizens of our state to be creative and critical
thinkers with both knowledge of the world and
the ability to forge pathways to excellence.”
A growing number of business recruiters
report that critical thinking — among other core
competencies that include communication skills,
historical and social perspective and creativity —
is recognized as “what employers want and where
higher education must go to thrive,” said Patrick
Madsen, Ph.D., director of UNC Charlotte’s
University Career Center. Corporate recruiters
look for applicants who not only understand their
field but also know how to approach problems,
create solutions and collaborate with others
toward goals, Madsen noted.
So how do students learn to think critically?
It’s a complex discussion as critical thinking
cannot be singularly defined; faculty, employers
and other stakeholders approach it from myriad
angles and perspectives.
This is where UNC Charlotte and partner
institution Kingston University London
recognized an untapped opportunity. Why not
harness these conversations into a larger, more
synergistic format? After several months of
planning, the universities held an interactive,
two-day symposium at UNC Charlotte Center
City. Participants examined questions such as,
“What does critical thinking look like?” “How
can it be taught across disciplines?” and “Can
critical thinking be measured?”
Entitled “Approaching a Common Language:
Critical Thinking Symposium for the UNC
System,” the event kicked off with more than
200 participants hearing keynote speaker Lesley-
Jane Eales-Reynolds, deputy vice chancellor
at Kingston University London. She shared
personal experiences in a talk called “Critical
Thinking — A Modern Solution to an Age-Old
Problem.” Afterward, attendees participated
in facilitated workshops, exploring issues such
as how to define critical thinking and how to
construct teaching curriculum around it.
A discussion panel consisting of UNC
Charlotte alumni and local corporate recruiters
highlighted the important symbiotic relationship
universities and employers share when it comes
to critical thinking.
Alumnus Caitlyn Swett, a freelance arts
administrator and independent dance maker,
encouraged the relationship. “I feel that, as
educators, facilitating collaboration in the
classroom is important when preparing students
for critical thinking in their academic experience
and career.” Panelists also encouraged students to
take advantage of resources available to them on
campus, such as the University Career Center.
Zwayyer, the bioinformatics graduate student,
exemplifies how critical thinking enriches a
student’s academic experience. He believes it has
already paid in dividends for him. “The general
education classes are the door to other worlds
and possibilities. I learned about my master’s
degree interest, bioinformatics, in one of those
classes,” he said. “I’ve (also) learned to apply the
scientific method in my field as well as my life
... corroborating theories or ideas with evidence
and litmus tests.”
Conversations did not end with the
symposium’s close. Heather McCullough, one
of the event’s planners and associate director for
the Center for Teaching and Learning, shared
that UNC Charlotte students will see critical
thinking and communication phased in as a
general education requirement in spring 2018.
“We look forward to supporting pedagogy that
strengthens our students’ critical thinking skills,”
McCullough said.
The University Career Center’s Madsen noted
that the center can facilitate incorporating a business
problem or need into a classroom assignment.
The center has several ongoing initiatives
with faculty, too, such as incorporating
competency-based goals into the classroom.
Instructors’ syllabuses can include “soft” learning
outcomes such as communication, teamwork
and time management, in addition to traditional
academic outcomes.
Editor’s Note: Businesses can learn more
about how they can connect with a UNC
Charlotte classroom at career.uncc.edu.
Shelly Theriault Muhl is communications
coordinator in Information Technology Services.
University bolsters teaching critical thinking
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 5
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
The UNC Charlotte chapter of the Bonner Leaders Program is
relatively new to campus. Yet, the participating students already are
engaged in efforts to serve the community.
This year’s cohort of 12 undergraduates is partnering with five
area nonprofits: Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency, Camino
Community Center, Discovery Place, Friendship Gardens/Friendship
Trays and the Levine Museum of the New South.
Through their work with the five partner agencies, Bonner Leaders
will contribute to community efforts that fight hunger, preserve cultural
histories, promote science education, increase access to health services
and address the digital divide.
The Bonner Leaders Program is part of a nationwide network of
more than 70 colleges and universities affiliated with and guided
by the Bonner Foundation, which works with these institutions to
support students to attend college and to be active and involved in the
greater community.
As part of the program, UNC Charlotte Bonner Leaders take
required courses devoted to themes that apply to their work outside
the classroom. Their curriculum is designed to build critical thinking,
problem solving and communication skills. Students also will conduct
undergraduate research and have the opportunity to minor in urban
youth and communities.
The College of Health and Human
Services and Mecklenburg County
Health Department have launched
a new partnership designed to
improve community health and
enhance education.
The Academy for Population Health
Innovation (APHI) will strive to
make Charlotte the nation’s healthiest
community through forward-thinking
research, implementation of evidence-based
practices in public health, training
and workforce development, and
community engagement.
The concept was co-developed by
Nancy Fey-Yensan, dean of the College
of Health and Human Services, and
Mecklenburg County Health Director
Marcus Plescia.
The APHI collaborative is uniquely
designed to advance the ability of
UNC Charlotte to provide world-class
training opportunities for students.
Students will work with the APHI team
on key health related issues facing the
community to better understand the
application of what they are learning in
the classroom.
Academy for
Public Health
Innovation launches
UNC Charlotte Provost and Vice Chancellor
for Academic Affairs Joan F. Lorden is the
recipient of the 2016 Charlotte Woman of the
Year Award for Civic Leadership and Service.
Bestowed by the Charlotte Woman of the
Year Committee, the honor is presented for
exceptional service and exemplary leadership.
Cyndee Patterson, president of The Lee
Institute and a 1997 Charlotte Woman
of the Year honoree, said, “Joan is truly a
servant leader. She leads by listening carefully,
asking insightful questions and then throws
herself into whatever project she takes on in
the community. Her accomplishments are
extraordinary and not heralded nearly enough.”
Lorden, who joined UNC Charlotte in
2003, is currently the UNC system’s longest-serving
provost and provides leadership for
seven colleges, the graduate school and multiple
research institutes.
As the University’s chief academic
officer, Lorden has spearheaded a renewed
commitment to deepening the scope of civic
engagement across the campus. The result has
been the implementation of an innovative,
action-oriented and civic-engagement approach
to curriculum that has affected thousands of
students, faculty and community partners.
Lorden’s community service is extensive.
She partnered with Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools to establish the Charlotte Engineering
Early College High School at UNC Charlotte;
she was an appointed member of the Arts and
Science Council’s Cultural Life Task Force;
she has served on the board of directors for the
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center; she was a
member of the Women’s Impact Fund Board;
and currently, she is a member of the board of
Discovery Place.
Provost Joan Lorden named 2016
Charlotte Woman of the Year
New program provides community engagement experiences for undergraduates
6 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
PORTAL is UNC Charlotte’s powerhouse of innovation, designed to support the
region’s entrepreneurial environment. Therefore, it was a fitting location for a major
announcement by Atom Power officials that it had secured an equity investment
from Siemens to advance its revolutionary circuit breaker design.
Ryan Kennedy, CEO of Atom Power and a UNC Charlotte alumnus, founded
the innovative company in 2014 to make commercial power safer and more efficient
through a novel circuit breaker design. The company has been headquartered in
PORTAL, since May 2015.
“For decades, circuit breakers and panels have been mostly mechanical in nature
with limited control points,” said Kennedy, who earned a bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering from UNC Charlotte. “Since our founding, we have developed
circuit breakers that are not only dynamic and intelligent but are making electricity
safe by preventing arc flash hazards.”
He said the funding, received in partnership with next47, the independent
innovation arm of Siemens, would accelerate Atom Power’s initiatives toward
achieving UL (Underwriter’s Laboratories) listing and development of higher
amperage circuit breakers currently under development.
Terry Royer, vice president of operations and product development for Siemens
Low Voltage and Product business, noted, “Atom Power is on the leading edge of
a fundamental change in the traditional circuit breaker and shows great promise
toward enhanced energy awareness and faster reactions times in an increasingly
complex energy landscape.”
“PORTAL was perfect for us, because we wanted to be close to the Lee College
of Engineering and the labs in EPIC,” Kennedy said. “EPIC has great, robust
infrastructure and the Electrical Engineering Department is very focused on power
at the systems level, which is a great fit with us.”
Symposium
addresses organ
donation shortages
The demand for organ transplants in the
United States continues to outpace the supply
by a ratio of 5-to-1. As one reads this, 21
people will die as a result of the organ shortage.
In February, representatives of the
Charlotte Eye Bank; the Organ Preservation
Alliance; LifeShare of the Carolinas; Carolinas
HealthCare System; and scientific researchers
in the fields of biology, engineering, and public
health from UNC Charlotte came together to
explore barriers to the donor shortage.
It marks the first time that researchers
from the Charlotte Banks initiative had an
opportunity to hear first-hand from LifeShare
staff and a Carolinas Medical Center transplant
surgeon on the challenges they face as they
work against the clock to save lives through
organ donation.
Charlotte Banks is a research initiative
based at UNC Charlotte aimed at extending
the potential storage time for donated organs
such as kidneys and livers, using technologies
such as ‘deep cold storage.’ It was founded by
Gloria Elliott, a UNC Charlotte professor and
associate chair of research in the Lee College of
Engineering, who is recognized for her research
in the areas of thermodynamics of biological
systems and focuses on short- and long-term
solutions to easing the donor shortage.
Elliott said technology using cryogenic
temperatures of 100-150 degrees below zero
could allow organs to be stored for months
instead of hours using current methods.
The symposium organizers stated the goal
of the February event was to continue the
dialogue related to organ donation shortage
and to become an annual event to celebrate
National Donor Day.
PORT AL powers
innovation in energy sector
Ryan Kennedy is CEO of Atom Power, a company working to make commercial
power safer. He also is a UNC Charlotte alumnus.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 7
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
Research explores
value of evaluating
peers’ writing
Practice giving feedback to peers and instruction
on evaluation using specific criteria can help
elementary school students improve their own
writing, according to a study co-authored by a Cato
College of Education professor.
Published in the journal Reading Research
Quarterly, the study was conducted by Zoi
Philippakos, assistant professor in the Department
of Reading and Elementary Education, and a
colleague from the University of Delaware, Newark.
The research examined the effects of giving
feedback on reviewers’ writing quality and inclusion
of elements of persuasion. Participants were fourth
and fifth-grade students.
In the study, fourth- and fifth-grade students
were trained to review and provide comments on
peers’ writing. They were then randomly assigned
to three groups: reviewers, reader-control and time-control.
The reviewers read persuasive essays written
by unknown students and provided numeric ratings
and feedback. The reader-control group read the
same papers but did not provide any feedback, and
the time-control group read narrative books.
Results indicated that both instruction in
evaluation criteria and the practice of peer reviewing
papers led to improvements in the quality of
students’ own writing.
“Compared to the control group, reviewers
improved the quality of their own persuasive
writing,” said Philippakos. “They also provided
more elements of persuasion compared to readers of
persuasive essays and to readers of narrative texts.”
“The likely explanation is that reviewing helped
students learn the evaluation criteria and apply
them when writing and revising their own essays,”
the authors noted.
With a wall of fans six-stories high creating winds in a huge, one-of-a-kind laboratory, researchers
from UNC Charlotte’s Fire Safety Engineering Technology program and the Insurance Institute
for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) are burning building materials and wildland vegetation
to study wind-driven wildfire embers. These large-scale tests are part of three-year study to
understand and, in the long run, mitigate the risks involved when embers from wildfires spread.
Sponsored by the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP), the $420,000 “Fire Ember Production
from Wildland and Structural Fuels” project brings together researchers from seven institutions.
Aixi Zhou, an associate professor in the Fire Safety Engineering Technology Department in the
Lee College of Engineering, is the principal investigator on the project.
“The project addresses the emerging problems we face as a nation with wildfire,” Zhou
said. “Human safety and property damage risks are increasing as development continues to
get closer and closer to wildland areas. The number of wildfires is also increasing, as warmer
temperatures and drought conditions are leading to more fires such as those in the North
Carolina and Tennessee mountains in fall 2016.”
The JFSP project aims to gain a better understanding of the embers produced during a wildfire
and to characterize them based on size and mass. The research includes small-scale laboratory ignition
tests and large-scale tests where vegetative and structural materials are burned in a wind tunnel.
The project involves testing building materials and vegetation to learn how to prevent or
reduce property damage from wildfires, and to help people understand the steps they can
take to protect their homes and businesses.
“This type of experience gets the students out in the field to learn,” Zhou said. “Experiential
learning is a key to all of our academic programs.”
Research teams take
aim at wildfire spread
UNC Charlotte with permission from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
UNC Charlotte researchers are making inroads in fire science, working to help save
lives, wildland vegetation and property.
8 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
University lands federal grant
for transportation research
In urban environments such as Charlotte, multiple options are needed to move
people and goods. To do so with maximum efficiency that relieves congestion
and improves the quality of life for city dwellers will require innovative research,
which is the aim of the Center for Advanced Multimodal Mobility Solutions and
Education (CAMMSE) at UNC Charlotte.
Using a $7.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, UNC
Charlotte will be the lead university for this novel multi-institutional center that
includes Texas Southern University, the University of Connecticut, the University of
Texas at Austin and Washington State University.
Multimodal transportation refers to the integrated network of roads, airports,
seaports, rails, transit systems, bicycle and pedestrian trails and walkways.
CAMMSE researchers will apply the multimodal term to the movement of people
and goods, with the aim of developing innovations to relieve congestion and
improve efficiency for both.
Investigators will work in collaboration with the Charlotte Area Transit System
(CATS) and the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT). “At UNC
Charlotte, we have expert faculty and great resources to help the community,”
said Wei Fan, associate professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department and principal investigator for the center. “This center will be very
important to the Charlotte area, the great state of North Carolina and the entire
Southeast region. We will use our research expertise to solve real-world problems
for CATS and NCDOT.”
M.S. in Mathematical
Finance Program
highly rated
UNC Charlotte’s Master of Science in
Mathematical Finance program is among the top
20 programs in the nation, ranking No. 18 in the
TFE Times’ 2017 Master of Financial Engineering
Program Rankings.
This is an increase from the previous No.
20 ranking for the Mathematical Finance
program, which currently enrolls more than 90
students. The TFE Times’ rankings are the most
comprehensive rankings for graduate financial
engineering, financial mathematics, quantitative
finance, computational finance and mathematical
finance programs in the United States. The
rankings are calculated based on a series of factors,
including average GRE scores, starting salaries,
undergraduate GPA, acceptance rates, and the
number of employed graduates.
Located in the second largest financial center in
the U.S., UNC Charlotte’s Mathematical Finance
program is a joint program of the Departments
of Finance and Economics in the Belk College of
Business and the Department of Mathematics and
Statistics in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
New Public Management
Certificate launches
Managers in the public sector face specific
challenges that are different from those working in
the for-profit arena. To address these challenges,
UNC Charlotte’s Master of Public Administration
Program, in partnership with the University’s
Continuing Education Office, is launching the
MPA Public Management Academy Professional
Development Certificate program.
“There are certainly generic management skills
relevant to any setting, but there are fundamental
differences between the private and public sectors.
Government and nonprofit managers must
appreciate these differences to be effective,” said
Tom Barth, director of the University’s MPA
program and co-developer of this new noncredit
certificate program.
Barth has enlisted UNC Charlotte faculty and
seasoned professionals working in the field to teach
each daylong session. Topics will include “Leading
and Managing in a Government and Nonprofit
Context,” “Setting Goals and Achieving Outcomes”
and “The Power of Data for Public Managers.”
UNC Charlotte
Center City
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 9
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
Tax team places second
in national competition
A five-student team from UNC Charlotte earned second
place among nine top-ranked teams in the national Deloitte
FanTAXtic, Deloitte’s student Tax Case Study Competition.
The UNC Charlotte team earned $1,000 per student and
a $5,000 institutional award at the competition.
Prior to the final competition, 60 teams representing 43
colleges and universities participated in regional qualifier
events in 13 Deloitte offices throughout the country. The
UNC Charlotte team was named as one of nine regional
winners of Deloitte FanTAXtic, advancing to the national
competition. In addition, a second UNC Charlotte
team finished second in regionals, receiving a national
honorable mention.
The students from UNC Charlotte’s Turner School
of Accountancy demonstrated the ability to work
collaboratively to solve a complex business case simulation.
Hardin receives Witherspoon
Distinguished Service Award
The Cooperative Christian Ministry
recognized Elizabeth Hardin, vice
chancellor for business affairs, with the
2016 Loy Witherspoon Distinguished
Service Award.
The award is named for the late
Loy Witherspoon, who founded
Cooperative Christian Ministry in 1964
after being recruited by Bonnie Cone
to serve as the first chair of what was
then Charlotte College’s Department of
Philosophy and Religion and to serve as the campus minister.
Witherspoon died Jan. 15.
Hardin was recognized for her work with Rev. Steve
Cheyney, Niner United’s campus minister, to secure
a $100,000 grant from the Indianapolis-based Lilly
Endowment’s Theological Exploration of Vocation for Campus
Ministries Initiative. The grant, awarded in 2014, was one of
only 21 across the country.
During her acceptance remarks, Hardin cited two forces, in
addition to her religious faith, that drive her desire to serve the
students of UNC Charlotte through Niner United.
The first is the power of public education, and specifically
higher education, to help close the opportunity gap in the
United States, a topic that has interested Hardin since she was
a teenager.
The second influence was having the opportunity to get
to know Cone and Witherspoon and seeing firsthand their
commitment to educating the whole student – both inside and
outside the classroom. Witherspoon especially left a lasting
impact through the campus ministry.
MUD Program joins
joint design project
The School of Architecture’s Master of Urban Design studio has
joined urban design students from Georgia Institute of Technology
and the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji
University (Shanghai, China) for a joint urban design studio
project. The studio is led by Assistant Professor Ming-Chun Lee.
The project began with three days of field surveys/site analyses in
Savannah, Georgia, using analytical essays about the 18th-century
plan for the city by James Edward Oglethorpe.
The students then traveled to Atlanta, where, over the course of a
week, they developed proposals for three sites in Atlanta – Centennial
Place, Renaissance Park and the Atlanta Civic Center. These research-based
proposals draw upon both the analyses of Savannah and the
histories and site situations of the areas in Atlanta (neighborhoods
formerly known as Tanyard Bottom and Buttermilk Bottom), to
examine how to create better cities, or parts of cities, for everyone.
Hardin
UNC Charlotte urban design students are working with peers at
Georgia Tech and Tongji University (Shanghai, China).
10 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
CHS reaches $5
million research goal
Three years ago, the College of Health and
Human Services set an aspirational goal to
reach a goal of $5 million in competitive
external funding. To help support the
work of talented faculty and their students,
the college has made progressive and
strategic investments in strengthening its
internal pre- and post-award grants and
contracts structure.
Systematic strengthening of the
communications and relationship with
the Office of Research and Economic
Development proved to be key. The college
financially supports Project Mosaic, UNC
Charlotte’s social science research initiative,
and it continues to invest in CHHS research
academies as a way to provide communities
of scholars the choice to interface and submit
grants with faculty who share common
interests and goals.
“The vision, dedication, persistence and
talent of faculty helped to reach the goal,
and most importantly, the research in the
college not only trains the next generation
of practitioners and researchers, but changes
lives for the better in the region’s communities
– a central theme in the college mission,” said
Nancy Fey-Yensan, dean of the College of
Health and Human Services.
Hechenbleikner Lake
designated Certified
Wildlife Habitat
UNC Charlotte’s Hechenbleikner Lake recently earned the designation of
a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization,
the National Wildlife Federation recognized the University’s efforts to
spearhead initiatives to create and maintain a space on campus that is
wildlife hospitable.
Certification also makes Hechenbleikner Lake part of the Million
Pollinator Garden Challenge, a national effort to restore critical
habitat for pollinators.
Hechenbleikner Lake is named for biology professor Herbert
Hechenbleikner, who was recruited to the faculty by University founder
Bonnie Cone. He is credited with the creation of the Van Landingham
Glen, which was the basis for the University’s Botanical Gardens.
CLAS professor garners
prestigious fellowship
Associate Professor of French Allison Stedman has received a
prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to
complete a book project with relevance for understanding mind-body
connections, the history of medicine, miracles, mysticism,
holism and metaphysical theology.
The year-long fellowship will support the outcome of in-depth
research to be conducted at the Arsenal Library and the French
National Library in Paris, for Stedman’s book “The Mind-Body
Connection in Early Modern France, 1580-1735: Metaphysics,
Mysticism, Miracles, Medicine.”
“This NEH Fellowship is a distinct honor, and we are so proud
of Dr. Stedman,” said Nancy A. Gutierrez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at
UNC Charlotte. “The award will support her research and will generate knowledge that can
be shared with our students and the broader community. Learning from the past is critical
as we confront the challenges of today.”
Stedman’s project is expected to generate knowledge with connections to an array of
disciplines and interests.
“I think a lot of people are curious about how the mind-body connection works,
especially if they have ever experienced an illness or watched a loved one suffer from
symptoms that modern medicine was unable to diagnose or to cure,” Stedman said.
Stedman did preliminary research at the Arsenal Library in 2011, focused on the
psychological repercussions of religious conversion during the French 1600s. Her
exploration of the narratives she found there opened her eyes to broader implications and
led her to seek support for expanded research with relevance to today’s views of medicine
and healing.
“To have the NEH agree to fund my project as a full-year faculty fellowship is an honor
beyond an honor and a blessing beyond a blessing,” Stedman said. “Without this fellowship
the project would have taken many more years to complete.”
Stedman
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 11
[ COv e r Story ]
UNC Charlotte has long been a respected producer
of top teachers, counselors and school leaders,
especially in the Charlotte region. That standing
received a major endorsement this fall when the Cato
Corporation made a $5 million gift to the College
of Education, resulting in its renaming as the Cato
College of Education. The Cato gift underscores UNC
Charlotte’s educational leadership and enhances it by
funding student scholarships and faculty awards (see
sidebar, page 16). It also draws attention to its leading-edge
work in teacher recruitment, teacher training
and research.
Here is glimpse at that work:
Teaching for Invigorated by
$5 million gift,
Cato College
of Education
embraces role
as leader
By W i l l s C i t t y
Cato College of Education alumna Jordan Todd was named 2016 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Teacher of the Year.
12 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ COv e r Story ]
To maintain teacher quality, school
districts and colleges of education must
ensure the so-called “teacher pipeline” is
replete with a steady stream of educators-in-
training. The task can be challenging.
Recent years have seen the teaching
profession absorb the growing pains of
new educational paradigms and the need
to cater to increasingly diverse student
populations. As a result, educational leaders
have sought answers through creativity
and collaboration.
A new partnership between the Cato
College of Education and Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is emblematic
of that approach. Beginning this fall,
the new Charlotte Early College for
Teachers will enroll high school freshmen
interested in working in education in a
comprehensive five-year program on the
UNC Charlotte campus.
“It’s about what we can do as a school
system to grow our own teachers here at
home,” said CMS Superintendent Ann
Clark, who collaborated with Cato College
Dean Ellen McIntyre to build the initiative.
The only program of its kind in North
Carolina and one of the first in the country,
the early college will immerse students in
intentional field-based learning activities.
Coursework will develop knowledge and
skills required for success within today’s
diverse urban classrooms. Students will
graduate with a high school diploma,
a Certificate of Advanced Standing in
Education and what may prove especially
attractive to many prospective enrollees —
a minimum of 60 hours in course credits
transferrable to any public institution in
North Carolina.
“When the students complete their last
year, they will likely have at least as many
hours in a classroom as students who are
a year ahead of them in the traditional
four-year education program,” said Michael
Putman, chairperson of the Department of
Reading and Elementary Education and a
project lead. “This allows the early college
students to really self-reflect about which
level of student is the best fit for them.”
Early nurturing of a student’s inclination
toward a career in teaching is beneficial
in multiple ways, Superintendent Clark
said — providing a boost in the number of
educators in training and helping prepare
them to succeed as teachers over the critical
first years in the classroom.
Added Putman, “The earlier we can get
them into educational contexts to work
with students, the better.”
Early college students will participate in
clinical placements in urban schools focused
on developing relationships with students
who represent future attendees of the
program. Each grade also will participate
in one significant urban cultural event each
academic year focused on art, music, theater
or history.
The program will be housed in the
Cato College building, providing students
the opportunity to experience the vibrant
atmosphere of a college campus. All
incoming CMS freshmen interested in the
program will be able to apply through an
open lottery process. The first class of 55
freshmen will start class in August.
Tomorrow
Michael
Putman
Teacher Recruitment:
Early College
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 13
[ COv e r Story ]
Cato Gift Creates
Student Scholarships,
Faculty Awards
Following a $5 million gift this fall to UNC Charlotte,
the College of Education has been renamed the Cato
College of Education.
The Cato Corporation, a retailer of women’s fashions and
accessories, made the gift to the University’s $200 million
fundraising campaign, “EXPONENTIAL: The Campaign for
UNC Charlotte.”
The gift funds the Cato Scholarship for Education, established
to provide annual financial scholarship assistance to incoming
freshman or transfer students who plan to major in a degree
program offered by Cato College.
The Cato Award for Faculty Excellence will help retain the
highest quality faculty. Two awards will be given yearly to promising
researchers. Two additional awards will be given to tenured faculty
for excellence in teaching, research or community engagement.
“The Cato College of Education is committed to preparing
outstanding teachers, counselors and school leaders,” said
Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “That mission is advanced
significantly by this gift, which will help us to recruit bright
students who wish to pursue a major within the college as well
as to support outstanding faculty for their excellence in teaching,
research and community engagement.”
Alumnus John Cato (’73) serves as chairman, president and
CEO of the Cato Corporation, whose headquarters are in Charlotte.
“Both the Cato Corporation and the Cato family have long been
committed to supporting education,” he said. “Teachers have the
ability to educate and inspire their students, and the College of
Education has a great tradition of preparing teachers for success.”
Christina Gullo, a recipient of a separate Cato-backed
scholarship, said, “To me, scholarships mean more than money,
they mean opportunity. Because of these scholarships, I am able
to learn and grow, both as a student and person.”
Cato has served the University in various capacities during the
years; he is a former member of the UNC Charlotte Foundation
Board and the UNC Charlotte Board of Visitors. Currently, he
serves on the Belk College of Business Advisory Board and was
inducted into the UNC Charlotte Alumni Hall of Fame in 2012.
“The Cato gift is critical right now,” said Ellen McIntyre,
dean of Cato College. “We have been looking for ways to
support more students who are thinking about teaching as
a career, and the scholarships provide another significant
incentive. For some, it may be the extra support they need to
even go to college.”
Alumnus John Cato (‘73), Chancellor Dubois and Dean Ellen McIntyre of the Cato College of Education celebrated a gift that
enhances opportunity through student scholarships and recognizes talent through faculty awards.
14 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ COv e r Story ]
Even before the first early college students arrive, UNC Charlotte
will debut a new model to improve teacher preparation at the
undergraduate level.
This June, the Cato College of Education will host a four-day
institute for key professionals who participate in teacher education.
The institute will bring together teacher educators, university
supervisors and school-based K-12 teachers to build a common
understanding of accomplished teaching and to develop coaching
skills to better support teacher candidates.
The institute will be planned and facilitated by “Deans for
Impact,” a national nonprofit dedicated to the improving teacher
preparation, and will be attended by representatives from Charlotte-
Mecklenburg, Cabarrus County and Rowan-Salisbury schools.
“This institute is critical for establishing a common understanding
about what we mean when we say ‘accomplished teaching,’” said
Ellen McIntyre, dean of Cato College. “Right now, many of these
professionals work in silos. We believe that we can all raise our own
skills in how to coach students toward becoming the best teachers
they can be.”
The two-year pilot program is funded by a grant of more than
$230,000 provided by the Belk Foundation and is backed by in-kind
support of the Cato College.
“With the collaboration of national experts ‘Deans for Impact,’
we believe that UNC Charlotte is going to be a frontrunner in
re-imagining clinical practice for aspiring teachers,” said Johanna
Anderson, executive director of the Belk Foundation. “The deep
collaboration with the partnering school districts is essential to ensure
that aspiring teachers are getting a realistic and supportive entry into
the classroom.”
After the institute, participants will form learning teams with
student teachers for a yearlong collaboration to prepare the candidates
to be successful. Members of the teams will observe and coach
the teacher candidates and then meet as teams to support their
development. A subset of each group will create five-minute videos of
expert teacher preparation and accomplished teaching.
An evaluation of the pilot will include a comparison of 60 pilot
candidates’ scores with 120 non-pilot candidates scores on three
measures, the student-teacher observation protocol, externally scored
portfolios and the senior exit survey.
Teacher TRAINING:
A NEW MODEL
“This institute is critical for establishing a
comon understanding about what we mean
when we say ‘accomplished teaching.’”
Ellen
McIntyre
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 15
[ COv e r Story ]
The last two CMS Teachers
of the Year were Charlotte 49ers.
They are Matthew Dukes
and Jordan Todd.
Dukes and Todd are among the
many Cato College alums who
have taken home districtwide
awards in recent years. In 2015
and 2016 in North Carolina, Cato
College graduates earned teacher
or administrator of the year honors
in Ashe, Cabarrus, Gaston and
Greene counties, as well as in the
city schools of Kannapolis
and Newton-Conover.
As part of its five-year strategic plan, Cato College
of Education has renewed its focus on research
and is especially interested in encouraging internal
cooperation and mentorship. “Collaboration
is the hallmark of research in our college,” said
Dawson Hancock, associate dean for research and
graduate studies. “The research process improves
significantly when multiple faculty and students
engage in discussion and research around topics of
critical interest to our constituencies.”
This emphasis has started to yield results; here is
a look at three projects.
Learning from
a Preschool’s
Literary Success
For faculty, research takes on added meaning
when it hits close to home. Castles Daycare
Academy is a fixture in the primarily low-income,
African-American Oak Forest neighborhood of
Charlotte, where the academy serves children ages
2 to 12.
For three decades, Castles Daycare has provided
high-quality, reading-rich child care and preschool
services. Castles has an impressive track record in
early literacy and preparing students for school, and
Cato College researchers are now set to find out
how they do it.
A $42,500 donation from Charlotte
philanthropist Charlie Elberson’s Reemprise Fund
is backing a study of academic outcomes and
learning strategies at the center. The study will
follow students there for a year, tracking how they
learn and develop. Researchers will document
instructional practices, videotape teaching and
learning and interview teachers, families and
children at the center.
According to Castles director Cynthia Knight,
the academy’s recipe for success is simple.
“Inspiration. You have to inspire children to
learn and ignite them with the power to tap into
their creativity and express their thoughts,” she
said. “We have to help them understand that they
are reading for knowledge and that this knowledge
they acquire makes them powerful.”
The research team studying Castles is composed
of Ellen McIntyre, dean of Cato College; Amy
Hawn Nelson, director of UNC Charlotte’s
Institute for Social Capital; and Cynthia Baughan,
assistant professor of early education.
The researchers hope to use their findings to
contribute to Read Charlotte’s goal of doubling
the number of third graders reading on grade level
by 2025, to work with local leaders to shape new
pre-K programs and to inform teacher preparation
programs at UNC Charlotte.
Many Students Exceed
Age-Based Grade Levels
Traditional age-based grade levels may hamper
the progress of millions of K-12 students in the
United States and should be a target for reform,
according to a study co-authored by a UNC
Charlotte professor who focuses on gifted students.
Michael Matthews, professor of special
education and child development, and colleagues
found that between 15 and 45 percent of students
enter upper elementary school already performing
at least one year above grade level. They came to
this conclusion after studying data from a sample of
state and national assessments.
“The numbers are far higher than we expected,
especially for the proportion of children who
already are achieving three or more years
above grade level in elementary school,” said
Matthews. “We already knew that acceleration is
tremendously underutilized, but it looks like vastly
more students could benefit from being allowed
to move through the educational system at a more
rapid pace.”
The study found that 11 to 30 percent of
elementary school students perform at least one
year above their current grade level in mathematics
and between 20 and 40 percent of students are
a level ahead in reading. As a result, billions are
wasted annually teaching students content they
already know, the researchers say.
They recommend more systematic monitoring
of advanced students and a more liberal
application of acceleration policies, including
grade skipping. The authors also suggest
instructional models that cluster students based
No. 1
1,500
1,250
718
2
UNC Charlotte is the No. 1
producer of newly licensed
teachers in the state, according to
the most recently available data
from the UNC Educator Quality
Dashboard.
From 2012-14, the
Cato College of Education
produced more than 1,500
new teachers in North Carolina.
More than 1,250 Cato College
alums teach in Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools (CMS).
718 of those teachers work
in low-income schools.
By The Numbers Research:
A Renewed Focus
16 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ COv e r Story ]
on their level of prior learning could narrow that range and
improve achievement of children at all levels.
Student Perceptions
Influence School Behavior
Social and physical surroundings of a school, and the way
students perceive them, may go a long way to determining
student behavior.
Anne Cash, an assistant professor in the Department
of Elementary Education, and her colleagues measured
school ownership, disorder (such as litter and graffiti) and
surveillance. The researchers also considered interactions
between students and school staff.
The study applied two social theories to the school
environment. Social disorganization theory speaks to
environmental conditions that influence individuals to engage
in crime and violence. Broken windows theory deals with lack
of order signaling a lack of social control, thus encouraging
crime and delinquency.
The findings suggest that although there are no direct
effects of the physical environment on student involvement in
violence, there are significant indirect effects through student
perceptions of rules and consequences.
“We learned that both lighting in schools and observed
negative student behaviors in schools were both related
to students’ perceptions of school rules and consequences
… which in turn were related to students’ involvement in
violence,” said Cash.
Findings from the study stress the need for violence
prevention through interventions that address physical needs,
social needs and student perceptions of order and disorder
within high schools.
Such interventions establish clear norms for behavior,
support positive relationships and create physical
environments that are safe and conducive for learning. Cash
and her co-authors collected data from approximately 28,500
students from 58 high schools in Maryland.
Wills Citty is the director of communication for the Cato College
of Education and the College of Health and Human Services.
Castles has an impressive track record in early literacy
and preparing students for school, and Cato College
researchers are now set to find out how they do it.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 17
49ers Notebook
Olympic ‘Push’
Track star Briauna Jones
makes USA Bobsled
National Team
By N at e W i s e
UNC Charlotte track and field alumna Briauna
Jones didn’t know her career as an athlete would
take her from polyurethane tracks to ice, but she
did know she was willing to do whatever it took
to chase her dream of being an Olympian.
After a successful tenure as a sprinter and
jumper with the Charlotte 49ers, Jones was
one of 22 athletes named to the USA Bobsled
National Team in November after an impressive
showing in training and trials in Lake Placid,
New York, and Park City, Utah. Jones earned a
place on the women’s push team.
“Everyone was telling me that I was just a
rookie and that I shouldn’t be taken aback if
I didn’t do very well, but that just fueled me,”
Jones recalled. “It all kind of clicked, and I
beat a bunch of the veterans. That’s when I
knew I belonged.”
A native of Summerville, South Carolina,
Jones compiled an impressive resume of awards
and records before graduating in 2014. She
holds a place on the school’s top-10 list for the
following events: indoor 60-meter dash, indoor
and outdoor long jump, indoor and outdoor
triple jump and indoor and outdoor high
jump. She also was a multiple-time conference
medalist in each of those events, but perhaps
her greatest achievement came in 2012 when
18 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ 4 9 e r s notebook ]
she helped the program’s 4x100 relay team earn
a trip to the national championships.
Most recently, Jones served as a volunteer
coach with the Charlotte track and field
program under Director of Track and Field and
Cross Country Bob Olesen, whose impact on
her life cannot be understated.
“Coach Olesen was a huge factor every step
of the way,” said Jones. “Not only did he help
me build that strength and speed needed in
bobsled, but he was the one that hinted at me
that I could pursue a career in bobsled.”
Now in his 16th season at the helm of
Charlotte track and field, Olesen was a member
of the U.S. bobsled team himself, representing
his country in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano,
Japan. His two-man sled teams accumulated
11 World Cup medals, including two bronze
at the 1997 World Championships. His tenure
with the team lasted from 1994 to 1998,
during which time he also earned the 1995-96
U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Athlete of
the Year Award in the sport of bobsled and was
a member of the 1996-97 USOC two-man
bobsled team of the year.
Now Jones hopes to follow in his footsteps
and find success in a sport that she never
expected to compete in. “He knows I’m not a
fan of cold weather,” she said with a laugh. “He
was kind of hesitant at first, but I told him I
was willing to try anything.”
With recent competition completed in
Whistler, Canada, World Cup action continued
with races in Altenberg and Winterberg,
Germany, before heading to St. Moritz,
Switzerland. At St. Moritz, Jones teamed with
one of this country’s greatest bobsledders in
Elana Meyers Taylor and won gold on Jan. 21.
From there, the tour returned to Germany in
Koenigssee before heading to Igls, Austria, and
then to the 2017 World Championships in
Sochi, Russia.
The season will conclude with the eighth
and final World Cup of the season in
PyeongChang, South Korea. If Jones is selected
for the U.S. Olympic bobsled team in the
winter of 2018, she would be the first student-athlete
in Charlotte history to represent the
red, white and blue in the Olympics. She is
eager for the opportunity.
“Charlotte has been an amazing support
system for me from the moment I walked on
campus, so I just want to represent my city
proudly,” she said.
Nate Wise is a media relations assistant in the
Sports Information Office.
Baseball Team Plays
Two Games Uptown
In conjunction with the Charlotte Knights, the
Charlotte 49ers baseball team scheduled two
games at BB&T Ballpark in uptown Charlotte in 2017.
The 49ers hosted Wake Forest March 21 and
faced N.C. State in the annual “Uptown Showdown”
March 28.
“The Knights are a first-class organization,”
said head baseball coach Loren Hibbs of the AAA
franchise. “We are thrilled to partner with them
again in 2017 and bring two great rivalry games
to BB&T Ballpark. These uptown games provide
enormous exposure and opportunity for our
players and baseball program.”
Let Me Play Tops $200,000, Sets Record
The Charlotte 49ers Athletic Foundation raised more than $200,000 at its Let Me Play Luncheon
in October at the Charlotte Convention Center. It was a record amount for the event.
The 13th annual luncheon was highlighted by a keynote address from event
chairperson Lynn Good, chairman and CEO of Duke Energy.
David Marsh, 2016 USA Olympic head women’s swimming coach, offered an
athlete’s perspective on the qualities athletic participation can build in young women.
Proceeds from the event benefit the school’s women’s athletics programs.
The Athletic Foundation
will host its 40th annual
49er Club Golf Outing
in April and 34th annual
Gold Rush Auction in
June. To learn more about
these events and supporting
Charlotte 49er athletics,
contact the foundation at
704-687-1046.
Golf, Auction Events this Spring
40th Annual 49er Club Golf Outing
Sponsors: Mecklenburg Valve Source, Vannoy Construction
Monday, April 24
Pine Island Country Club
34th Annual Great Gold Rush Auction
Sponsor: Chartwells, a division of Compass Group
Saturday, June 3
Dale F. Halton Arena and James H. Barnhardt Student
Activity Center
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 19
[ 4 9 e r s Notebook ]
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi became the first 49ers football player to be
invited to the NFL Combine in preparation for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Ogunjobi, who holds school career records for tackles, sacks and tackles for
loss, was a first-team all-Conference USA choice in the fall. He became the first
49er invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, held Jan. 28 in Mobile, Alabama. The
NFL Combine was Feb. 28-March 6, and the 2017 NFL Draft is April 27-29.
The 49ers’ nationally-ranked men’s soccer team sent two players to the
MLS Combine Jan. 8-12 in Los Angeles. Seniors Brandt Bronico and Matej
Dekovic became the sixth and seventh 49ers invited to the combine.
Bronico, who scored on a 25-yard rocket at the event, was the Conference
USA Player of the Year and the league’s Offensive MVP. He earned second-team
all-America honors from College Soccer News and helped the 49ers to four
straight NCAA tournament bids and three national seeds during his career.
Dekovic was a first-team all-Conference USA defender who was named
all-Southeast Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Both Bronico and Dekovic were drafted by the Chicago Fire.
Trio Invited to Pro Combines
NFL
Combine
2017
Larry Ogunjobi
MLS Combine
2017
Brandt Bronico,
Matej Dekovic
2016
Kyle Parker
2014
Tyler Gibson
2013
Donnie Smith
2012
Evan James,
Charles Rodriguez
Ogunjobi Bronico Dekovic
Pictured above are 14 of the Charlotte 49ers football players who graduated in December 2016. From left: Austin Duke; Jamal Covington;
Brandon Banks; Lee McNeill; Stephen Muscarello; Casey Perry; Zach Bumgarner; Larry Ogunjobi; Thomas LaBianca; Jarred Barr; Matt
Johnson; Cameron Curlings; Keaston Sinicki; Hayden Pezzoni.
20 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ B Y THE NUMBERS ]
2016-17 (incomplete year)
Name Sport Major Team
Callum Montgomery Soccer Biology Second
2015-16
Lexi Betancourt Softball Exercise Science Third
Haley Pace Softball Accounting Third
2013-14
Tyler Gibson Men’s Soccer Marketing Third
2012-13
Shane Basen Baseball Accounting and Finance First
2011-12
Jason Roberts Track and Field Accounting Second
Shane Basen Baseball Accounting and Finance Second
Macey Ruble Track and Field Physics and Mathematics Third
2010-11
Darius Law Track and Field Business Management First
2009-10
Adam Gross Soccer Business Management First
Hailey Beam Soccer Finance and Marketing First
Corey Nagy Golf Psychology Third
Darius Law Track and Field Business Management First
2008-09
Adam Gross Soccer Business Management Third
Nikki (Labuda) Czaplicki Soccer Mathematical Finance First
Hailey Beam Soccer Business Finance Second
Darius Law Track and Field Accounting Second
Lamarra Currie Track and Field Psychology First
2007-08
Lindsey (Beam) Ozimek Soccer Special Education First
Lamarra Currie Track and Field Psychology First
Jonas Enander Hedin Golf Business Management Second
2006-07
Lindsey (Beam) Ozimek Soccer Special Education First
Nikki (Labuda) Czaplicki Soccer Mathematics & Economics Second
Kelsie Ormsby Soccer Biology Third
Jane Daniels Track and Field Biology First
Sharonda Johnson Track and Field Chemistry Second
2005-06
Lindsey (Beam) Ozimek Soccer Special Education Third
Cassie Ficken Track and Field Civil Engineering Second
Mike Ambrose Baseball Psychology First
Sharonda Johnson Track and Field Chemistry Second
2003-04
Lindsay Duncan Soccer Communication Studies Third
Sharonda Johnson Track and Field Chemistry Third
2001-02
Jobey Thomas Basketball Communication Studies Second
Ola Jonsson Tennis Business Management First
2000-01
Karin Levin Track and Field Elementary Education Second
1997-98
Jim Kunevicius Soccer Information Management First
Tiffany Howard Softball International Business Third
1996-97
Jim Kunevicius Soccer Information Management Second
1992-93
Christopher Mark Tennis Electrical Engineering Second
1991-92
Christopher Mark Tennis Electrical Engineering Second
1987-88
Steve Wagoner Baseball Biology Second
1985-86
Craig Brown Soccer Economics First
Steve Wagoner Baseball Biology Second
1984-85
Siobhan Riley Tennis Nursing Third
49ers Academic All-Americas
This fall, men’s soccer player Callum Montgomery became the
University’s 44th Academic all-America. He joined a distinguished list
of honorees dating back to 1984-85.
Note that the 2016-17 academic/athletic year is incomplete at this
writing and that some Academic all-Americas changed their majors
during their years at UNC Charlotte.
’80s ’90s ’00s ’10s First Second Third
4 5 26 9 15 17 12
By Decade By Team
By Year
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 21
[ Feature ]
22 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
Created in 1962 with
sets and costumes
by artist Robert
Rauschenberg, the work
was last performed
in 1964 and thought
lost to the company.
[ Feature ]
Lost &
Kim Jones reconstructs
Paul Taylor work to benefit
students, audiences,
history of dance
Found
By M i c h a e l J . S o l e n d e r
Late last fall, Charlotte-area dance enthusiasts
experienced a performance at Robinson Hall that
featured the work of internationally renowned
choreographer Paul Taylor.
As audience members thrilled to the rebirth of his all
but lost work “Tracer,” performed by the New York City-based
Taylor 2 Dance Company, it’s unlikely many at the
sold-out performance realized they were seeing the results
of an extensive faculty research project.
Kim Jones certainly did. The College of Arts +
Architecture associate professor of dance watched
from the wings with a sense of deep satisfaction
and accomplishment.
The reemergence of “Tracer” capped an 18-month
reconstruction project led by Jones and represents an
extraordinary collaboration among UNC Charlotte,
Paul Taylor American Modern Dance and community
partners in Charlotte.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 23
[ Feature ]
Seminal Artist
Leading the movement of postmodern
choreographers during the early ’60s, Taylor and
his work demonstrated a creative intensity with
“a direct kinesthetic impact, lifting the spectator
to a state resembling a luminous cloud,” said
Dance Magazine in 1963. Taylor is one of
the few remaining third-generation American
modern dance masters and considered a seminal
artist of his generation.
In 2015, Jones was approached by Taylor’s
company to reconstruct “Tracer.” Created in
1962 with sets and costumes by artist Robert
Rauschenberg, the work was last performed in
1964 and thought lost to the company with
no recorded footage or accessible notes. The
company tapped Jones after her successful
reimagination and choreography of the lost 1935
Martha Graham solo work, “Imperial Gesture.”
This was the first time Taylor authorized an
externally led reconstruction of his work.
Jones’ sleuthing began with a semester-long
research sabbatical where she spent
weeks combing archives for clues at the
Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New
York Public Library. Jones conducted dancer
interviews and studied critical reviews, costume
design, staging, music and still images. Her most
significant discoveries, however, were made in
Taylor’s own archives.
“I found several reviews, the original Robert
Rauschenberg costumes, six handwritten pages
of Paul’s detailed notes, and most amazingly, a
reel of the original James Tenney score in the
Taylor archives,” Jones said. “The reel was given
to a sound engineer who was able to extract and
enhance a recording with excellent quality.”
Taylor 2 Residency
on Campus
Jones worked directly with Taylor’s
second company, Taylor 2, in New York. She
subsequently fine-tuned the dance with the
troupe during its three-week residency at UNC
Charlotte. As part of the residency, the dancers
and rehearsal director also worked directly with
students, conducted master classes and held
two public performances.
“The project had a great impact on our
students,” Jones said. “They were able to
engage directly with professional artists in the
studio, working on the nuances of style and
rigor it takes to do the reconstruction and fine-tune
details of the dance.”
Jones developed two specific curriculum
components for student learning as part of
the project. “Our ‘Performance Practicum’ is
a course where students learn choreography,”
she said. “Students perform the choreographic
works in our biannual dance concert and learn
what is behind producing a great show. With
the ‘Tracer’ project, they got the chance to
work with the Taylor 2 dancers and experience
what’s involved in staging work at this level.”
Jones also collaborated with her former
Kim Jones (right)
speaks with dancers
at rehearsal. The
reemergence of Paul
Taylor’s “Tracer”
capped an 18-month
reconstruction project
led by Jones.
24 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ Feature ]
professor at Florida State University, Tim
Glenn, on a “Dance Documentation” course
developed to take advantage of the detailed
research involved in the reconstructive process.
The coursework focused on student learning
techniques and processes to document dance
reconstruction, ranging from interviewing
artists to editing raw video footage.
So significant was the research opportunity,
the reconstruction/residency project was
awarded a 2016 Art Works grant from the
National Endowment for the Arts. The project
also received an Arts & Science Council grant
and a residency sponsorship from the Wells
Fargo Foundation.
“The project fulfills three mandates of the
University,” said Ann Dils, professor and chair
of the Department of Dance at UNC Charlotte.
“The project is a distinct and unique research
opportunity; it creates unique curriculum
to benefit students; and it addresses our
responsibility to build community partnerships.”
Partnering with
the Community
In bringing Taylor’s troupe to Charlotte,
the University also facilitated opportunities for
interaction with community partners. In April,
Central Piedmont Community College and
Charlotte Ballet are teaming up to bring the
Paul Taylor Dance Company (main troupe) to
Charlotte for the first time in 15 years.
The company will perform as part of the
Sensoria Festival of the Arts, with a program
that features “The Rite of Spring,” performed
to live music, using the four-hand piano
arrangement of composer Igor Stravinsky’s
original orchestration.
Later this year, UNC Charlotte students
will take “Tracer” into area middle and high
schools, reaching out to local youth and
demonstrating the beauty of arts education.
For Paul Taylor American Modern
Dance, the “Tracer” project has been
a resounding success. “It is incredibly
important to the art form that we not
lose our past,” said John Tomlinson,
executive director of the Paul Taylor
Dance Company. “We started a
repertory preservation project in 1992,
and this project fits nicely with our
ongoing efforts.”
“Tracer” is part of the Taylor 2 repertory
and has already been performed for
audiences in Providence, Rhode Island,
and New York City. New York Times
dance critic Alastair Macaulay gave the
New York production a positive review,
citing Jones as a “dance scholar” and
noting the debut of the reconstructed piece
occurred at UNC Charlotte.
“This project is important in many
ways,” Jones said. “It is important to expose
the American history of modern dance. It’s
exciting to go behind the works done in the
20th century and explore how we respond to
it. I’m incredibly proud to be a part of that.”
So significant was the
research opportunity,
the reconstruction/
residency project was
awarded a 2016 Art Works
grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 25
[ Feature ]
A Confucius Institute will open at UNC Charlotte in summer
2017 to broaden the University’s outreach and support
for language instruction and cultural opportunities in the
Charlotte community.
“The Confucius Institute will expand our offerings in Chinese
language and culture, both on campus and in the community,” said
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Joan Lorden. “We
look forward to the opportunities for unique cultural programming,
study abroad and collaborative research that this new partnership will
bring to Charlotte.”
UNC Charlotte will establish the Confucius Institute within the
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences in the Department of Languages
and Culture Studies. UNC Charlotte is partnering with Shanxi
University, a comprehensive university of arts and sciences located in
Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.
“We see a growing demand for Chinese language instruction and
cultural activities to better understand China, improve bilateral relations
and better prepare students for future opportunities and challenges,”
said College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean Nancy Gutierrez.
“We anticipate the Confucius Institute will work with Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools and other schools in the region to help students
be better equipped to succeed in an increasingly globalized world.”
Chinese instructors from Shanxi University would act as teaching assistants
Confucius
Institute
Broadens
University’s
Global Reach
Nonprofit will expand
educational, cultural options
By Ly n n R o b e r s o n
26 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
at local K-12 schools, with supervision by the local schools.
Initial plans call for the public to be able to take advantage
of community offerings, which could include conversation
hours, films, seminars, lectures and artistic performances.
“Our partnership will also allow us to help organizations
and businesses improve their international knowledge and gain
greater access to Chinese language and cultural instruction,”
Gutierrez said. “We anticipate offering educational courses to
businesses, providing Chinese language testing and developing
training courses for local school teachers.”
Long-term goals include potentially connecting UNC
Charlotte students with Chinese scholarships for short-term
or long-term study abroad programs in China and offering
students from Shanxi University the opportunity to study at
UNC Charlotte through selected collaborative agreements.
Meeting the needs of the broader community is critical,
Gutierrez said. The Chinese population in the Charlotte
region has shown significant growth with a 168 percent
rise in population between 2000 and 2014. Local schools
have responded with Chinese language classes, and the
Carolinas Chinese Chamber of Commerce in 2015 led a
40-representative delegation from the Carolinas for a two-week
business trip to China to explore potential collaborations.
Another trip is planned for 2017.
Two directors – one from UNC Charlotte and one from
Shanxi University – will manage the Confucius Institute and
report to a Board of Directors to be chaired by Gutierrez.
The board will include Lorden, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois,
Assistant Provost for International Programs Joël Gallegos and
other campus, community and Chinese leaders.
The University hosted a grand opening ceremony
Wednesday, March 29, in Cone University Center, McKnight
Hall, to celebrate the partnership.
Nonprofit Confucius Institutes operate with support
from a host university and from Hanban, also known as
the Office of Chinese Language Council International
(CLCI), a Chinese Ministry of Education subsidiary. UNC
Charlotte and Hanban will share in the funding of the
Confucius Institute.
There are more than 100 Confucius Institutes in the United
States, including ones at North Carolina State University, the
University of South Carolina, the University of Maryland and
Michigan State University.
Lynn Roberson is director of communication for the College of
Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Provost Joan Lorden (seated, right) presided over agreements to create a Confucius Institute at UNC Charlotte. The
institute will help organizations and businesses gain greater access to Chinese language and cultural instruction.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 27
[ cente r stage ]
1
3
Picture This
The evolution of UNC Charlotte’s campus continues this
year as several new facilities and memorable spaces begin
to take shape.
University Recreation Center
The University Recreation Center will rise at Cameron
Boulevard and Craver Road, beside the Popp Martin
Student Union.
Some of the highlighted spaces in the facility include:
n Indoor pool with zero depth entry, lap swim area, space
for hydro fitness classes and leisure pool activities.
n Four multi-purpose courts for a variety of open play and
structured rec activities.
n A variety of strength and cardiovascular training
opportunities are offered at multiple levels throughout
the facility.
n Multi-purpose studios for Group Fitness activities
including Cycling, Zumba, Yoga, high intensity training
classes and many more.
n Locker rooms with private showers and changing areas
n Administrative offices for Recreational Services,
which will allow for one-stop service for
recreation-related needs.
Counseling Center
A new Counseling Center (top, right), slated to open next
August, will serve students who are seeking counseling
services at an increasing rate. Located adjacent to the
existing Student Health Center, the new building also will
allow closer collaboration with the Student Health Center
and the Center for Wellness Promotion.
Belk Plaza
The revitalized Belk Plaza will begin taking shape in June.
An oval-shaped great lawn, adorned with a raised-rock
fountain will provide opportunities for people to gather,
along with spaces for activities. This view looks toward the
Willingham Building, with Rowe to the right. Robinson Hall
for the Performing Arts appears in the rear.
1
2
3
28 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ cente r stage ]
2
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTE magazine 29
[ feature ]
3 Colleges,
1 Community
Collaboration
By M e l b a N ews o m e
Three UNC Charlotte colleges have formed an
interdisciplinary partnership to confront a growing but
largely unmet need in the Charlotte community.
Faculty members and students from the Cato College
of Education, College of Health and Human Services and
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are working with the
Camino Community Center’s Bethesda Health Center to
provide a community-based mental health improvement
program for low-income and immigrant families. It is the first
such initiative in the country and has become a national model
for other colleges and universities.
When Daniel Gutierrez arrived at UNC Charlotte in
2014, he quickly realized that Charlotte’s fast-growing Latino
University Steps
Up to Aid People
with Mental
Healt h Neds
Camino Community Center
in Charlotte’s University City
neighborhood provides health
and social support to low-income,
uninsured people in
Mecklenburg County.
Daniel
Gutierrez
30 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ Feature ]
community had a high uninsured rate and was
in dire need of mental health care. An assistant
professor of counseling, Gutierrez approached
his research mentor, Mark DeHaven, the Dean
Colvard Distinguished Professor in the College
of Health and Human Services, about finding
a way to bridge this widening mental health
gulf for the area’s immigrant community.
DeHaven also serves as director of the
Academy for Research on Community Health,
Engagement and Services, which uses action
or community-based participatory research
(CBPR) to improve health in vulnerable
communities, while simultaneously building a
“communiversity” to support its students. “The
first principle of CBPR is working with the
community; the second is the expectation of a
long-term commitment there,” said DeHaven.
Marshaling Resources
Having worked with Camino and Bethesda,
a collaborative of health and welfare volunteers
serving Mecklenburg’s uninsured population,
DeHaven knew that the lack of mental health
care was a significant issue he believed could be
addressed by marshaling resources from across
the University.
“We saw a substantial unmet need in
Charlotte and wanted to do something about
it,” said Gutierrez. “By 2050, about 30 percent
of the population will be Hispanic or Latino
but, even though they have the same pathology
as everyone else, they are the second-least likely
to access mental health services.”
When Gutierrez and DeHaven visited the
clinic, Executive Director Wendy Pascual
explained that she had 85 people waiting for
mental health care. “Many have experienced
or witnessed severe trauma such as war,
physical and sexual violence or prolonged
exposure to verbal and emotional abuse,”
explained Pascual.
While many of the patients come to the
TOP: Camino Community Center is a
free health clinic that provides adult
primary care, diabetes and hypertension
management, and health education
programs.
BELO W: UNC Charlotte provided healthy
snacks to Camino clients as part of a 2015
free health risk-screening event.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 31
[ feature ]
free clinic seeking care for ailments such as
diabetes or high blood pressure, some also
exhibit undiagnosed forms of depression
and mental trauma. These emotional issues
make it more difficult to effectively treat
their physical health problems. “At one
point, about 85 percent of the folks in this
community were experiencing some level of
depression, high levels of anxiety and then
high levels of trauma,” noted Gutierrez.
Within two months, DeHaven and
Gutierrez had joined forces with Amy
Peterman, associate professor in the
Department of Psychological Science, and
School of Social Work clinician Roger Suclupe.
What emerged was a unique community
partnership. Each college now uses its expertise
to enhance their students’ cultural competence,
carry out the University’s community service
mission and reduce the clinic’s growing backlog
of mental health patients.
“My students are training in the
biopsychosocial model, the interaction of
biological, psychological and social factors
that affect health and illness,” said Peterman.
“We place students at many sites but this is a
practicum opportunity where Spanish-speaking
students can provide therapy in Spanish and
work with that population.”
Determining how people flow into the
program and what services will be available
falls into the domain of public health at the
College of Health and Human Services. A
public health doctoral student developed flow
algorithms and procedures as well as oversees
the evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.
“By 2050, about 30 percent of the
population will be Hispanic or Latino
but, even though they have the same
pathology as everyone else, they are
the second-least likely to access
mental health services.”
Graduate students from the UNC Charlotte College of Health and Human Services administer free health risk screenings to Camino clients.
The screenings included a lifestyle questionnaire, body composition, blood pressure, blood lipid profile, and blood sugar measurements.
32 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ Feature ]
Social work students aid patients with a wide
range of needs, such as assisting with food,
veterans’ benefits and housing needs.
Handling Cases
Suclupe provides clinical oversight for
some of the counseling students working with
Spanish-speaking clients. “We staff cases like
a clinical supervisor, discussing difficulties the
student counselor may have, treatment plans
and the needs of the community/patient,”
he said. “We want students to connect with
and provide support for a community that
has a limited availability of resources. We talk
a lot about these problems, but we’re doing
something about them for the first time.”
During the pilot phase, 80 people with
mental health needs went through the
program. Seventy percent of them completed
it, a dramatically high rate given that, generally,
only 20 to 30 percent of such patients tend to
finish prescribed sessions.
While some people have expressed concern
that these services are being provided by
students, DeHaven is quick to point out that
this same model is used in academia all across
the country. “Students are very capable of
delivering high quality care,” he said. “When
you seek care at any of the country’s leading
academic health centers, you’re being treated
by medical students and residents under the
direction of an attending physician. This is
no different.”
Counseling, social work and health
psychology had not worked together
previously, primarily because of their different
missions and approaches. However, these
programs in their respective colleges set
aside any rivalries and/or separate descriptive
approaches to find a common, workable
solution to a looming crisis.
“At the root of all three colleges is the
desire to be part of the caring professions, to
restore people to health and wholeness,” said
DeHaven. “There is this tremendous emphasis
on accentuating the differences, but when
we focus on what unites us instead of the
ways we’re different, we can really accomplish
something good.”
Noted Pascual, “The mental health program
helps our patients with quality of life. It lets
them know there are others who can support
them and that others suffer from mental health
issues, too.”
Camino Community Center has served more than 3,500 patients and provided health fairs
as well as more than 8,500 doctor visits since it opened its doors in 2004.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTE magazine 33
[ FEATURE ]
Much of Niner Nation knows UNC Charlotte
senior Larry Ogunjobi from his impressive career
as a defensive lineman for the Charlotte 49ers
football team — as well they should. He’s the only active
player to start all 46 games in the program’s history, and
he’s the team’s career leader in tackles (212), tackles for loss
(49) and sacks (13).
Yet, summarizing Ogunjobi’s career only by the work
he’s accomplished in Jerry Richardson Stadium would be
capturing only half the story. For as great as Ogunjobi was
on the football field, his academic prowess was equally
noteworthy — which says a lot since he could become the
first player in program history selected in the NFL draft, to
be held April 27-29.
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Ogunjobi is driven by
his constant desire to excel. “For me, I always want to be
the best, so I asked myself why I couldn’t be really good
in the classroom and really good on the football field,”
he said. “I never wanted to put myself in a box, so as a
student-athlete, I focused on being the best student and
athlete I could be.”
Because of his affinity for computers, Ogunjobi majored
in computer science with a concentration in computing
systems. He earned that degree in December. He also is
working on a biology degree, following in the footsteps of
his mother and father who work in the medical field. He
Compute This!
49ers football standout Larry Ogunjobi excels in the classroom, eyes NFL draft
By C l a r k C u r t i s
Larry Ogunjobi, a first
generation American,
earned a computer
science major while
also becoming a star
collegiate football
player. At press time,
Ogunjibi was expected
to be selected in the
NFL draft.
34 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ FEATURE ]
“He selected one of the most demanding concentrations within
the computer science degree program and completed
all requirements on time, with hard work and integrity.”
may finish that after what he hopes is a “long” pro football career.
“Occasionally, universities are suspected to be ‘diploma
mills’ for members of sports teams,” said Bojan Cukic,
chair of the Department of Computer Science. “As a result,
students like Larry feel additional burden about their scholarly
performance. He selected one of the most demanding
concentrations within the computer science degree program
and completed all requirements on time, with hard work and
integrity. While I wish him a long NFL career, he will have great
career opportunities as a computer science graduate.”
For Ogunjobi, that sharp contrast is what makes him so
unusual. It’s what makes him who he is — a college graduate
with one degree, another degree possible and a passion for
football. A passion he hopes might land him in the NFL, but if
not, Ogunjobi will be just fine.
“I’m really proud of Larry and how he handled himself in all
aspects of his collegiate career — athletically, academically (and)
as a team leader and cornerstone,” said Brad Lambert, the 49ers
head football coach.
“He worked extremely hard to make himself a really strong
player,” Lambert continues. “He’s been a very productive
player for us over our last four years. He helped lay the
foundation for us, along with the rest of the senior class. His
work ethic, specifically, has really helped elevate our football
program. He’s been a rock in building this program, and that’s
set us up for good things in the future. He’s everything you
want in a student-athlete.”
Clark Curtis is director of communications in the College of Computing
and Informatics.
Larry Ogunjobi
excelled on the
football field for the
Charlotte 49ers,
and in the computer
science program,
with guidance from
Bojan Cukic, chair of
the Department of
Computer Science.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 35
[ Featu r e ]
By Pa u l N ow e l l
Bank of America is committing $1.5
million to the Exponential Campaign
to support research at UNC Charlotte
in the Data Science Initiative and to sponsor a
series of marquee lectures at the University.
The donation establishes an endowed
fund supporting the Data Science Initiative
and creates an Endowed Chair in Security
Analytics, which positions UNC Charlotte at
the center of the data analytics revolution.
The endowed chair position will also
strengthen the leadership and impact of
UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte region
within the North Carolina Data Science
initiative. Research in security analytics
will create synergies within the College of
Computing and Informatics’ existing strengths
in the Center of Configuration Analytics and
Automation, and Charlotte Visualization
Center, as well as UNC Charlotte’s campus-wide
Data Science Initiative.
“Bank of America is pleased to build upon
its longstanding partnership with UNC
Charlotte,” said Bank of America Charlotte
Market President Charles Bowman. “The
University is central to Charlotte’s role as a hub
for innovation, a center for civic engagement,
and a region focused on leading the way in
information technology.”
In honor of the gift, UNC Charlotte has
named the atrium of the UNC Charlotte
Center City for Bank of America.
Educational programs in security analytics
will help address the severe talent shortage in
this field by educating the next generation of
strategic thinkers, thought leaders, and security
professionals to make risk-based decisions
using data-driven evidence, deep technical
knowledge, and the ability to take proactive
security actions.
Data science is designed to help businesses
Cathy Bessant and Kathy Reichs engaged the audience in a lively conversation at the gift announcement held at UNC Charlotte Center City.
Bank of America makes
generous gift to EXPONENTIAL
36 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
and governments alike make responsible
decisions about and protect rising amounts of
individual information. The discipline of data
science combines aspects of computer science,
modeling, applied mathematics and statistics.
UNC Charlotte is surrounded by top
financial services, energy, retail sales and
distribution, advanced manufacturing, and
technology companies that provide an ideal
environment to utilize a suite of skills only an
urban research university can accommodate.
“I think UNC Charlotte is really unsung
but an incredible data science and engineering
hub,” said Cathy Bessant, Bank of America
chief operations and technology officer.
“Even if we weren’t located in Charlotte, we
would work aggressively with UNC Charlotte
because the talent and the energy they put
behind (the data science program) puts them
at the forefront of some of this thinking. We
have some of the best professors in the world
in informatics.”
A portion of the gift will sponsor the UNC
Charlotte Civic Series presented by Bank
of America, which includes three marquee
lectures: The Chancellor’s Speaker Series,
the Barnhardt Seminar on Ethics, and the
TIAA Lecture.
“Bank of America has been a steadfast
partner to UNC Charlotte in so many ways for
almost 50 years, with volunteer participation
on the Board of Trustees, endowed
professorships and support for the creation and
implementation of the Applied Technology
Program,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois.
“We are excited that Bank of America is
once again expanding its partnership with
the University to support the Data Science
Initiative, along with a series of important
public lecture events. We are very appreciative
that we enjoy the continuing confidence of the
bank’s leadership in the work of our faculty,
staff and students.”
The Chancellor’s Speaker Series celebrates
the University’s role as our region’s thought
leader and brings nationally renowned speakers
to the area to speak on current issues.
The Barnhardt Seminar on Ethics is forum
for discussion on business realities and their
ethical implications for society. Attendees
are business professionals, community
leaders, and UNC Charlotte faculty, staff,
and students.
The TIAA Lecture is an endowed lecture
and hosts distinguished and notable speakers
on a variety of topics.
To showcase the caliber of the Civic Series,
the University hosted a program featuring
a discussion between noted author, forensic
anthropologist and professor Kathy Reichs
and Bank of America Chief Operations and
Technology Officer Cathy Bessant at the UNC
Charlotte Center City.
Reichs is as a professor in the Anthropology
Department at UNC Charlotte. She also is
the producer of the television series “Bones,”
which is based on her work and novels.
[ Featu r e ]
Applied Technology Program students enjoy the gift announcement reception in the newly
named second floor Bank of America Atrium at UNC Charlotte Center City.
The gift announcement drew a large crowd, including (from left) UNC Charlotte Board
of Trustees Chair Joe Price, Vice Chancellor and Provost Joan Lorden, alumnus and
Exponential Campaign Chair Gene Johnson and Bank of America’s Julie Harris.
“Even if we weren’t located in Charlotte, we would work aggressively
with UNC Charlotte because the talent and energy they put behind
(the data science program) puts them at the forefront of some of this thinking.”
— Cathy Bessant
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 37
Julia Lopez (’14)
After graduating from UNC Charlotte in
December 2014 with bachelor’s degrees in
economics, English and political science,
Julia Lopez served as an intern for U.S.
Rep. Alma Adams (N.C. 12th District).
One of her first assignments was to assist in
creating a Small Business Symposium where
entrepreneurs and small business owners
could learn how to grow and obtain access
to capital.
The education she received at UNC
Charlotte helped her succeed at her
internship and aided her in gaining a full-
[ PROFILE ]
Public
Service
Passion
Many UNC Charlotte alumni serve in public office
on city, county, state and national levels. Some
were elected, while others were appointed or hired
in support positions. UNC Charlotte students are
following in their footsteps. Here are stories of two
recent graduates and two current students who are
taking advantage of internship opportunities and other
programs to pursue their passion for public service.
Internships in Politics
Lead to Great Experiences,
Career Opportunities
H H H H H H H
Julia Lopez (left) was on campus
recently, touring the PORTAL facility.
She is pictured here with (from
left) Ventureprise President Paul
Wetenhall, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams,
Vice Chancellor Robert Wilhelm and
Henry Rock, Founder and Executive
Director of City Startup Labs.
“If a constituent
in our district
has an issue
with a federal
agency, it is my
job to correspond
with the agency
and help the
constituent find
a solution.”
— Julia Lopez
By J e n n i f e r H ow e
38 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ P r o f i l e ]
time position serving as a district liaison for
the congresswoman.
“My UNC Charlotte education definitely
helped me learn how to write and think
critically — two skills that have been invaluable
working in public service,” Lopez said.
In her current role, Lopez maintains
relationships between Adams and constituents
within the district. It is her responsibility to know
the state of the district with regard to such issues
as small businesses, immigration and hunger
initiatives, to name a few. The information she
gathers allows Adams to know which topics she
needs to address on Capitol Hill.
“If a constituent in our district has an
issue with a federal agency, it is my job to
correspond with the agency and help the
constituent find a solution,” Lopez said. “If
a disabled veteran is having issues receiving
benefits, I would contact the Department of
Veteran Affairs on behalf of the constituent.”
Getting involved with government and
public service was something Lopez had
envisioned for herself. She enjoys helping
people and advocating for their rights. One
memorable assignment involved assisting
Adams in the struggle to prevent a teenager
from being deported.
“When he was captured by ICE
(Immigration and Customs Enforcement), he
was barely 19 and was in detention for over
eight months,” said Lopez, who visited him in
the detention center. “He was escaping threats
from gangs in El Salvador that endangered his
life. This kid had no criminal record and was a
good student at his school, but had to drop out
because of rumors that they were picking up
kids to be deported back to Central America.”
The case allowed her to experience how the
immigration process works. Her team worked
hard in Washington, D.C., and in Charlotte to
contact the Department of Homeland Security,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and
ICE to keep the teenager in Charlotte. While
the outcome wasn’t what Lopez hoped for —
the teen was deported back to El Salvador —
the experience solidified that public service was
the field for her.
Lopez advises current UNC Charlotte
students who are contemplating a career in
public service to secure an internship while in
school and to find their own niche.
“Network, network, network,” Lopez said.
“Attend community events and volunteer. You
never know who you will meet. Eat breakfast
and always keep a blazer in your car.”
Bailey Russell
Three days after finishing exams last May,
Bailey Russell moved to Raleigh, North
Carolina, to begin her internship in the office
of N.C. Rep. Jason Saine (’95). The political
science and economics major, who is minoring
in legal studies, had to get situated quickly
in her new city. The short session of the state
legislature had already begun.
In landing the internship, Russell followed
her mother’s suggestion to contact her
hometown representative’s office (District
97). Her mom had grown up with Saine in
Lincolnton, North Carolina, and both families
had attended the same church at one time.
While talking with him on the phone, Bailey
discovered that they had both served on the
same student government committee at UNC
Charlotte, though years apart.
Her student government background
came in handy while working in Raleigh.
“My experience writing legislation in student
government was extremely helpful,” she said.
“Student government prepared me to know
how to communicate with different people
and how to disagree with others’ political
opinions gracefully.”
The assignments she worked on during the
summer internship varied. Her favorite projects
were the ones that dealt with her hometown of
Denver, North Carolina, along with those that
affected UNC Charlotte. “I loved whenever
legislation was dealing with something I could
H H H H H H H Bailey Russell (center)
interned with another
Lincolnton native and UNC
Charlotte alumnus, N.C. Rep.
Jason Saine. She is pictured
here with (from left) alums
N.C. Rep. Bill Brawley, former
Rep. Mike Hager, Saine and
Chancellor Dubois.
“Student
government
prepared me to
know how to
comunicate
with diferent
people and how
to disagree
with others’
political opinions
gracefully.”
— Bailey Russell
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 39
[ PROFILE ]
relate to,” Russell said. “It was unreal to receive
emails regarding legislation and house bills from
names I knew and recognized personally.”
She appreciated the number of UNC
Charlotte alumni and administrators she met
during her internship. They included Rep. Bill
Brawley (’78), co-chair of the House Finance
Committee, and Mike Hager (’87), now a former
representative and majority leader. She also had
the opportunity to speak with Chancellor Philip
L. Dubois on one of his visits to Raleigh and to
spend time with Betty Doster, special assistant
to the chancellor, who explained which pieces
of legislation would affect UNC Charlotte
and the other colleges and universities in the
UNC system.
Vincent Cahill
In fall 2015, junior chemistry, economics and
political science major Vincent Cahill was
selected as an Andrew Goodman Foundation
Vote Everywhere Ambassador. In this role,
he helps college students develop strategic
organizing skills while advocating for their
community’s voting and civil rights. Student
ambassadors receive a stipend, activities budget
and ongoing mentorship, support and training
from the foundation’s staff and network of social-change
leaders.
As an ambassador, Cahill educates his peers at
UNC Charlotte on the importance of exercising
their right to vote. Working alongside the UNC
Charlotte 49er Democracy Experience — a team
of expert faculty, civic-minded students and
community partners who support understanding
and participating in the nation’s democratic
process — Cahill helped register more than 750
students to vote prior to the March 2016 North
Carolina primary.
“The experience demonstrated the degree to
which the University and the administration
support its students’ endeavors,” said Cahill.
“Our student team received so much advice and
guidance from faculty, staff and administration
members, and our efforts were greatly bolstered
by their presence.”
The main goal for the 2016 fall semester was
to ensure that local and state election boards
would select UNC Charlotte as an early voting
location. Cahill felt that bringing a polling place
to campus would increase access for students and
inspire a heightened sense of civic engagement.
He worked with the 49er Democracy Experience
and the Division of University Advancement to
secure the selection, which ultimately resulted
in approximately 8,500 voters casting ballots on
the UNC Charlotte campus in the November
general election.
Before ballots were cast, the 49er Democracy
H H H H H H H H H H H H H
“Our student
team received
so much advice
and guidance
from faculty,
staf and
administration
members, and
our eforts
were greatly
bolstered by
their presence.”
— Vincent Cahill
Vincent Cahill (second from left
in photo) served as an Andrew
Goodman Foundation Vote
Everywhere Ambassador. He
educates his UNC Charlotte peers
on the importance of exercising
their right to vote.
40 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ P ROFILE ]
H H H H H H H
“Working for
Congressman
Hudson has
been one of
the most
rewarding
opportunities
of my life.”
— Regi Simpson
Regi Simpson (left)
secured an internship
and then a staff position
with fellow alumnus U.S.
Rep. Richard Hudson,
after she served as
president of the UNC
Charlotte College
Republicans.
Experience orchestrated faculty-moderated, pre-debate
discussions and hosted debate-watch parties.
Cahill was encouraged by his fellow students’
excitement as they packed into the Popp Martin
Student Union Movie Theater, filling every seat
and creating makeshift spots on the ground to
participate in the watch parties.
“I quickly learned that our work was most
effective when we engaged with students who
are similarly passionate about contributing to
a more engaged campus climate,” said Cahill.
“It took a lot of practice for our team, but
understanding how to effectively build diverse,
productive coalitions was one of the most critical
components of our advocacy.”
The ambassadorship will end upon graduation
(May 2017); it has been one of the highlights
of Cahill’s collegiate experience — one he won’t
forget when he goes to work as a litigation legal
assistant with the New York law office of Davis
Polk & Wardell.
“My time as a Vote Everywhere Ambassador has
confirmed the personal satisfaction that I feel when
I help an individual register to vote or direct them
towards a polling location,” Cahill said. “I truly
enjoy this aspect of civic engagement, and I expect
to continue this work for the rest of my life.”
Regi Simpson (’13)
When Richard Hudson (’96) announced his race
to represent North Carolina’s 8th Congressional
District, Regi Simpson was serving as president of
the UNC Charlotte College Republicans. Soon
after, she secured an internship on his campaign
and worked hard to get the former UNC Charlotte
student body president elected through the
primary, run-off and general elections.
“Once elected congressman, Rep. Hudson
asked if I would be interested joining his Concord
district office as an intern,” said Simpson. “I
happily accepted.”
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in
political science in May 2013, she became the staff
assistant in Hudson’s Washington, D.C., office and
by February 2014 was promoted to scheduler. In
this role, she handled meeting details, briefings,
events and travel for Hudson. She also briefed him
on scheduling activities and acted as a liaison with
staff, committees, constituents and government
officials. In July 2015, she became Hudson’s
executive assistant.
“Working for Congressman Hudson has been
one of the most rewarding opportunities of my
life,” she said.
In January 2016, Simpson moved on to become
assistant to Rob Engstrom, senior vice president
and national political director at the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce, the world’s largest business
organization by membership. The U.S. Chamber
represents more than three million business
members of all sizes, sectors and regions.
“Our job is to serve as a voice for the
business community in Washington, D.C.,”
said Simpson. “We support the free enterprise
system and advocate for business-friendly policies
that encourage job creation, economic growth
and relieve regulatory burdens faced by our
business community.”
Working in the Political Affairs and Federation
Relations Department, she helps elect candidates
(incumbents and challengers) to the U.S. House of
Representatives and U.S. Senate who will support
pro-business policies.
The road of public service is not easy, Simpson
noted, but it’s important. Her core values help guide
her through challenging times, and the educational
foundation she received at UNC Charlotte shapes
her cognitive skills. “Each individual has the
opportunity to be a positive influence and ensure
the world is a better place after they have made their
imprint,” she said.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 41
[ Memorial ]
Loy H. Witherspoon, professor emeritus
of philosophy and religious studies
at UNC Charlotte and a longtime
confidant to University founder Bonnie Cone,
died on Jan. 15, in his Charlotte home.
The founding chair of the Department
of Religious Studies, Witherspoon retired in
1994 after 30 years of distinguished service at
the University. For more than a decade after
his retirement, he continued to teach at UNC
Charlotte, and he remained active in a range of
community and academic service projects.
“Loy was truly a legendary teacher and a
mentor to his colleagues and scores of students,
and he was one of the most active members of
the campus community,” said UNC Charlotte
Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, who had known
Witherspoon since the early 1990s when
Dubois was UNC Charlotte’s provost. “He was
a much-loved colleague who always had time
and a kind word for anyone. Lisa and I will miss
him very much.”
The Loy H. Witherspoon Lecture in
Religious Studies began in 1984 in honor of his
20th anniversary, and is now the University’s
oldest and most prestigious endowed lecture
series. The 33rd annual event was held Feb.
6 on the topic of “Neighboring Faiths: Jews,
Christians and Muslims.”
At an unveiling of Witherspoon’s portrait
in the Harris Alumni Center at Johnson Glen,
Dubois recalled when Cone “recruited Loy
Witherspoon, she was looking for a builder –
and a builder she got.”
Cone assigned him the tasks of building
programs in philosophy and religious studies.
She also asked him to create an organization
to coordinate the work of campus chaplains
and student religious organizations. The
new organization was called the Office of
Religious Affairs.
A 1969 recipient of the University’s
highest recognition for teaching, the Bank
of America Award for Teaching Excellence,
Witherspoon was described as a great teacher,
caring counselor, skilled ombudsman, host,
patron, politician, public relations practitioner
and troubleshooter. Witherspoon also served
as college chaplain and on practically every
University committee.
Under his leadership, the Department of
Religious Studies grew from a handful of courses
to a full-fledged degree program. Witherspoon
also was instrumental in establishing campus
In Memory of Loy Witherspoon,
Renowned Scholar, Mentor
Loy Witherspoon beams as
his portrait is unveiled by
Angie Gay (right) and the
artist, Jamie Lee McMahan.
42 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ Memorial ]
governance. He was the first chairperson of the
University Senate, twice served as president of
the faculty and was University marshal from
1988 to 1993.
“Loy Witherspoon embodied the values and
aspirations of UNC Charlotte,” said Nancy
Gutierrez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts &
Sciences. “All of his efforts have gone to creating
the University of the future. The University
of the 1960s and 1970s was a pretty small,
parochial kind of place. Yet, in his mind, Loy
never worked in that small place. He always has
had ambitions for UNC Charlotte, and so his
work even in the early days was predicated on its
becoming the great institution it is today.”
As the first chair of the Department of
Philosophy and Religion when it formed in
1964, Witherspoon created a lasting foundation
that allowed both disciplines to flourish,
Gutierrez said. He also served as the first chair
of the independent Department of Religious
Studies when it formed in 1972.
“He was instrumental in bringing endowed
professorships to the University,” Gutierrez
said. “The University’s first named, endowed
lecture series bears his name. Hundreds of Loy’s
friends, colleagues and former students showed
their love and respect for Loy by creating the
fund in his honor in 1984, and he faithfully
continued to support and attend these
important community lectures.
“Witherspoon showed his dedication to
students in deep, lasting ways,” she said.
“He was the mentor and supporter of many
students. He brought the fraternity system here
and was a mentor to those students and sent
them off into the world prepared as scholars
and as people. He was this amazing teacher.
He had a vision, but he was also very practical.
Sometimes he gave students money out of his
pocket. He gave scholarships. He was always
interested in the physical and spiritual well-being
of the students.”
Gutierrez counts Witherspoon as a mentor
and inspiration. “I am so glad I had the
opportunity to know him,” she said. “If there
is nothing else I have gained from moving to
UNC Charlotte, knowing Loy Witherspoon is
one of my greatest personal benefits.”
After, his retirement Witherspoon remained
engaged with the University and the awards and
accolades continued to come.
In 2001, he received the Distinguished
Service Award from the UNC Charlotte Board
of Trustees. That same year, the University
chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha, for which he had
served as faculty adviser, endowed a scholarship
that bears his name for a religious studies major.
The Loy H. Witherspoon Greek Alumni
Scholarship was established in 2012 to honor
the work done by Witherspoon to establish
the current Greek system at the University.
It is used to provide scholarship assistance to
undergraduate members of UNC Charlotte
fraternities or sororities.
The Loy Witherspoon Distinguished Service
Award, is presented annually by the Cooperative
Christian Ministry. The 2016 award was given
to Elizabeth Hardin, vice chancellor for business
affairs. She serves as a board member and
campus advisor for the ministry, which is known
as Niner United at UNC Charlotte.
Witherspoon received the Alumni Association’s
Distinguished Faculty Award in 1993 and
the Alumni by Choice Award (now called
the Honorary Alumnus(na) Award in 1995.
Witherspoon Hall, a 420-bed residence facility,
opened in 1990 and has long been the home for
students in the University’s honors program.
Witherspoon, who also was an ordained
minister in the United Methodist Church,
earned his bachelor and divinity degrees from
Duke University and his doctorate from
Boston University.
Witherspoon grew up in Winston-
Salem in the Methodist Children’s Home
after both his parents died when he
was a small child. Following his Duke
education, Witherspoon went to teach
philosophy and religion at the American
University in Cairo, Egypt. There he
met his lifelong friend and companion,
William Pfischner, M.D.
“He always has had ambitions for UNC Charlotte, and
so his work even in the early days was predicated on
its becoming the great institution it is today.”
Nancy Gutierrez, dean, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Loy Witherspoon (front, center) inspired long-lasting bonds with former students. Here he is
joined by (front row, from left) Pat Palmquist, Greg Ross, David Ravin and (top row, from left)
Mark Joyce, Michael Wilson, David Gay, Jack Stack, Scott Boulware and Kevin McLemore.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 43
[ P r o f i l e ]
In 2007, Arthur Jackson was appointed
UNC Charlotte’s vice chancellor for student
affairs. During his tenure, he has provided
leadership to improve retention, graduation
rates, diversity and the University’s response to
First Amendment issues of demonstrations on
campus and elsewhere. He also has served as an
associate graduate professor of education.
After 10 years as vice chancellor, Jackson is
retiring this summer.
A career administrator at colleges and
universities from Virginia to Massachusetts, Jackson
came to UNC Charlotte with a proven record
of accomplishment in counseling, admissions,
financial aid and student affairs. He connects with
students and top administrators alike.
Jackson also has been a professor in
multicultural education and higher education
administration for the past 24 years. He has
lectured at Brown University, Springfield
College, Central Connecticut State University,
Cornell University and the University
of Maryland.
He has served as the North Carolina
state director for Region III for the National
Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Jackson was awarded the Distinguished
Accomplishment Award and Pillar of the
Profession honor by this organization. He is
a member of Rotary Club International, the
Golden Key Honor Society and Kappa Alpha
Psi fraternity.
Jackson recently sat down with University
Communications writer Paul Nowell to reflect
on his decade of service at UNC Charlotte and
to look to the future.
So when do you officially retire?
Officially, my last day is sometime in July
2017, but I plan to stay on for about a week
The Art of
Student Afairs
Jackson reflects on 10 years as a leader, vice chancellor
By Pa u l N ow e l l
After 10 years as
vice chancellor for
Student Affairs, Arthur
Jackson looks forward
to retirement as a
snowbird, splitting time
between Charlotte and
Massachusetts.
44 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ P r o f i l e ]
to transition with the new person. It really
depends on their schedule and obligations. In
my own case, I was not able to come here until
August due to previous commitments.
What significant changes have occurred
during your 10 years as vice chancellor for
student affairs?
I think Student Affairs has always been an
excellent division. It had not changed much in
the last 20 years. So when I came in, I found
some efficiencies to streamline the division.
It has actually gotten bigger, added resources,
people and programs to it. I tried to make it
more administratively logical, with less silos in
the division so everyone had a better chance to
communicate and work with each other.”
Do you think folks on campus and off
campus are aware of what is being done
in your division?
We were ahead of the curve in areas such
as housing, student judicial affairs, suicide
prevention and programs on financial literacy
that people are just starting to address now. The
whole First Amendment rights situation led
to the creation of the Demonstration Activity
Response Team (DART). I wanted to give my
staff more flexibility to do things to benefit the
division and the University, as long as they were
cost efficient. I tried to allow people to come up
with new programs and ideas to improve the
whole institution.
I think we can see efforts are working to
improve retention and the graduation rate
has improved. These important measures of
student success have gone up every year, and
we in Student Affairs contribute greatly to
that success. Students who have a low level of
involvement and satisfaction tend to leave the
University. I tried to identify channels of success
to come up with ways to limit student attrition.
How did DART come about?
Like many Charlotte institutions, we
had our own First Amendment issues. We
wanted to be more organized about this so
we could be more productive. We started by
looking at what other universities were doing
with best practices, and we found similar
efforts were underway at other schools. We
wanted to establish protocols and procedures.
I wanted to have a protocol to follow so we
can adapt to different activities. When we see
things occurring like a (police) shooting right
off campus and demonstrations in Uptown
Charlotte that caused a lot of damage, we
already had it in place.
The Dean of Students Office and I
recommended starting DART last summer.
I had noticed that at every conference I
attended, civility was the No. 1 or 2 issue that
was on the minds of my peers. Some other
universities had experienced student protests
last year and the year before. So DART
helps to open the lines of communication
with students, faculty and staff and to let the
University audience know what is occurring. If
you think about parents living 200 miles away,
they don’t know if these protests are happening
outside the gates of the campus, on campus or
eight miles away in Uptown Charlotte.
Would you list DART as one of your
top accomplishments?
My top accomplishment is the role in the
roughly $500 million in capital construction
projects on campus since I came here. Some
of the buildings that I have been involved in
are the (Popp Martin) Student Union, the new
Counseling Center, the Belk Gym renovation
and the new Health and Wellness Center. We
have built and renovated numerous residence
halls, such as Levine Hall.
This movement will continue for the next
five years. Other accomplishments are the
improvements to our retention and graduation
levels. They have gone up several percentage
points every year. We have done things like
“We are doing the right things, but I think we still are not
where we should be. Part of areas where I take a lot of pride
in is in the evolution of diversity programs, most of these
are done by Student Afairs and Academic Afairs.”
Among many accomplishments during his tenure as vice chancellor, Art Jackson cites the
creation of the Demonstration Activity Response Team, which engages with groups that
plan to hold protests and other demonstrations, in order to ensure First Amendment rights
in a civil atmosphere.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 45
streamlining the withdrawal process. This
gives students other options before they do
withdraw. We have been able to convince some
students not to withdraw. It is all about student
success, trying to help them to graduate.
I have also emphasized fundraising for the
division. We now have a gift officer, and this has
helped us to increase our development efforts.
How would you describe your
leadership style?
I feel that I am a delegating leader. Someone
told me a long time ago that your career will
be determined by the people you hire. So I try
to hire people that are smarter than me in their
areas of expertise and are hardworking people.
People who are not willing to put in long hours
won’t last long here.
I started out as a counselor, and I worked
my way up the ladder. I did not magically
appear as a vice chancellor. I worked as a
financial aid director, an academic counselor
and an assistant director in admissions.
A lot of my work ethic comes from my
family and especially my mother. She worked
in a factory, got her degree and became a
guidance counselor. I have a working-class
mentality in that I know the success of an
organization depends on all the individuals
working in it. Everyone on my staff is
a professional, and I expect them to act
appropriately because we depend on all those
functions to succeed as a university.
I have been known to come in two days
before school with a broom if a residence hall
is not ready. I try to be a role model and am
willing to work as long as needed to get things
done. However, we work together. We work as
a team, not as individuals.
Describe the current state of Student
Affairs at UNC Charlotte?
We are doing the right things, but I think
we still are not where we should be. Part of
areas where I take a lot of pride in is in the
evolution of diversity programs, most of these
are done by Student Affairs and Academic
Affairs. We have improved greatly. We have
dialogues to improve diversity and created the
Latino Student Services programs. These were
not in existence when I started here. We also
have the Veteran Student Services Office and
the Jamil Niner Student Pantry.
I believe North Carolina still has a long
way to go when it comes to diversity. Coming
from Massachusetts — this came as a surprise
to me. Sometimes I think we have become
more resistant to change in North Carolina.
We need to adapt to those changes in a
progressive and methodical way.
Charlotte and UNC Charlotte are more
progressive than the rest of the state. Colleges
and universities are the leaders for change in
America. We must be in the forefront of areas
such as technology and scientific advances. We
are supposed to be educating our students to
be leaders in North Carolina and the world.
Our goal is that we should not to be satisfied
with how it is, but how it should be.
You are still a young person;
why retire now?
I have put my heart and soul here for 10
years. I had not intended to stay at UNC
Charlotte for that long. However, my family
and I think this is the best institution I have
ever worked in. It is very collegial and inclusive.
Working with Chancellor (Philip L.) Dubois has
been an excellent opportunity for me to improve
myself as a professional and as a person. It is why
I came here. This place was really evolving and
making the transition to a research university.
We are hopefully going to be at the highest
Carnegie level of research very soon. After 10
years, besides wanting to spend more time with
my family, I hope to be teaching part-time in
the Cato College of Education.
I think it is time for a rejuvenation of
the vision and the mission of the division.
You have to change to keep up with your
counterparts. You also need to refresh your
image to continue to be relevant. Besides,
my grandkids and my wife have been putting
more demands on me. I will be a snowbird,
spending some time in Charlotte and
in Massachusetts.
Transition is good for an organization. It’s
important to leave an institution in better
shape than when you first came. I think I made
incremental improvements to help the division
and the University. I also hope that I have laid
a strong

UNCCharlotte The magazine of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Winter/Spring • 2017
3 Colleges,
1 Community Collaboration
University addresses community
mental health needs
Confucius Institute Broadens
University’s Global Reach
Nonprofit will expand educational,
cultural options
Turning the Page
for the Student
of Tomorrow
The Cato College of Education:
For over fifty years, change has
become a key component of
UNC Charlotte’s institutional
DNA. From our establishment in
1946 as the Charlotte Center of
the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill through our evolution as
Charlotte College (1949-1964) and
then as the fourth campus of the UNC
system (1965 to present), the only
constant we have experienced has been
constant change.
Of course, some changes have been
more important than others, such
as our development from being an
institution with a very concentrated
campus-based teaching mission to one
that today reflects a complex mix of
teaching on campus and off (in person
and on-line), research and technology
transfer, economic development and
cultural enhancement, and community
engagement. And changes in our mission
have resulted over time in changes to
our inventory of baccalaureate, master’s,
certificate, and doctoral programs, and
increases in the numbers of faculty and
staff necessary to adequately meet our
current mission obligations as “North
Carolina’s urban research university.”
With these changes have come
a staggering increase in student
enrollment and dramatic alterations
and additions to the physical campus,
including our academic and student
support buildings, road infrastructure,
and campus grounds. My predecessor,
Chancellor Jim Woodward, used to say
that if UNC Charlotte wanted to be
thought of as a major research university,
then we would have to look like one.
Over the course of the past twelve years
of my chancellorship, we have been
dedicated to meeting that challenge,
with more than $1.2B in expenditures
on new construction and renovation.
As we continue over the next several
years with implementing what we call
the “Five Year Master Capital Plan,” we
look forward to additional investments
approaching $350 million.
Over the course of the next year,
visitors to the campus will notice the
tangible results of these investments.
Here are updates on some of
those projects:
New and Renovated
Academic Facilities
A large and complex project is under
way to renovate the historic academic
core of the campus, which includes the
Barnard, Denny, Garinger, Macy, and
Winningham buildings. These facilities
are among the oldest on our campus and
most in need of important infrastructure
upgrades (e.g., HVAC, electrical, new
windows) and a variety of aesthetic
improvements (e.g., carpeting, paint,
classroom and office furnishings). We
began this multi-year project over the
2016 holiday break with the Denny
Building and hope to have that ready for
occupancy by the time classes begin in
August. Notably, favorable contracting
bids on this project will permit us to
clad the exterior of the building in
brick (a research university can never
have enough brick!) and thereby bring
Denny into our architectural family.
After Denny is complete, we will move
on to Macy and Barnard, and then on to
Garinger and Winningham, finishing all
five buildings by December 2018.
While actual renovation
construction has begun in the historic
academic core, the new Science
Building, funded by last year’s
successful Connect NC bond measure,
is in the schematic design phase. This
much needed facility will include
teaching and research labs, classrooms,
student collaborative spaces, faculty
offices, and administrative and student
support areas. The project also includes
a modern data center for the campus
and a regional utility plant. We expect
the building to be completed and
ready in time for classes in fall 2020.
(Drawings of some of these new
facilities appear on pages 28-29.)
[ CHANCELOR' S LETTER ]
Change Enriches
UNC Charlotte
“the only constant we
have experienced has been
constant change.”
Continued on page 47
Contents UNC Charlotte Magazine • Winter/Spring • 2017
22 Lost & Found
Charlotte-area dance enthusiasts were treated
to a rare performance at Robinson Hall that
featured the work of internationally renowned
choreographer Paul Taylor. Last seen in 1964,
“Tracer” not only thrilled the sold-out crowd
but also capped an 18-month reconstruction
project led by associate professor of dance
Kim Jones.
26 Confucius Institute Broadens
University’s Global Reach
A Confucius Institute will open at UNC
Charlotte in summer 2017 to broaden the
University’s outreach and support for language
instruction and cultural opportunities in the
Charlotte community.
30 3 Colleges,
1 Community Collaboration
Three UNC Charlotte colleges have
formed an interdisciplinary partnership
to confront a growing, but largely unmet,
need in the Charlotte community. It is the
first such initiative in the country and has
become a national model for other colleges
and universities.
34 Compute This!
Much of Niner Nation knows 49ers
football standout Larry Ogunjobi from his
impressive career as a defensive lineman. Yet,
summarizing his career at UNC Charlotte only
by his work on the football field would capture
half the story.
12 Teaching for Tomorrow
UNC Charlotte has long been a respected producer of top teachers,
counselors and school leaders, especially in the Charlotte region. That standing
received a major endorsement when the Cato Corporation generously invested
in education at UNC Charlotte. Invigorated by a $5 million gift, the
Cato College of Education embraces
its role as a leader in the region.
FEATURES
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 1
Contents UNC Charlotte
FEATURES
36 Bank of America
Makes Generous Gift
to Exponential
Bank of America is committing
$1.5 million to the Exponential
Campaign to support research
at UNC Charlotte in the Data
Science Initiative and to sponsor
a series of marquee lectures at
the University.
PROFILES
38 Public Service Passion
Many UNC Charlotte alumni
serve in public office on city,
county, state and national
levels. They’ve paved the way
for a number of UNC Charlotte
students to follow their footsteps.
44 The Art of Student Affairs
Set to retire this summer, Art
Jackson reflects on his time as
vice chancellor of student affairs
and his decade of service to the
students of UNC Charlotte.
54 Improving Lives
Beyond Campus
The Association of Public and
Land-grant Universities has
designated UNC Charlotte
an Innovation and Economic
Prosperity University.
48
DEPARTMENTS
5 News Briefs
18 49ers Notebook
28 Center Stage
42 Memorial
52 Alumni Update
56 Class Notes
59 Giving
61 Perspective 44
Art
Jackson
48 Front & Center
The UNC Charlotte “Pride of Niner Nation” Marching Band
provides a heartbeat and soul to all home football games
in Jerry Richardson Stadium. Get to know a few members
of the band in these student profiles.
2 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ B Y THE NUMBERS ]
Alumni: Building a Legacy
Alumni have been generous to UNC Charlotte in many ways, including gifts to boost facilities and programs.
A college, four buildings and a promenade on campus have been named in honor of 49er alumni.
Hunter and Stephanie
Edwards Promenade
Named for Hunter (’88) and Stephanie
(’86) Edwards, the promenade was
dedicated on Aug. 28, 2015. It houses
broadcast booths and University
coaches and media boxes at Jerry
Richardson Stadium.
Hauser Alumni Pavilion
Named after David (’77) and Nancy
(’77) Hauser, the pavilion is the home
of Alumni Tailgate Village during
football season. It was dedicated on
Sept. 26, 2015.
Johnson Band Center
Named after Vickie (’71) and Gene
Johnson (’73), the 6,700-square-foot
center is home to the UNC Charlotte
“Pride of Niner Nation” Marching
Band. The center was dedicated on
Oct. 21, 2015.
Jamil Niner Student Pantry
Named after Dhiaa (’78) and Hope
Jamil, the pantry benefits students
who struggle with food security. The
pantry was dedicated Aug. 31, 2016.
Karen A. Popp and Demond
T. Martin Student Union
Named after Karen A. Popp (’80) and
Demond T. Martin (’97), the Student
Union was dedicated on Sept. 22,
2016, as part of the Exponential
Campaign Kick-Off. At nearly 200,000
square feet, the facility serves as the
epicenter of campus.
Cato College of Education
Named for the Cato Corporation and
John Cato (’73), the Cato College of
Education was dedicated on Nov. 11,
2016. The college is the No. 1 producer
of newly licensed teachers in the state,
according to the UNC Educator Quality
Dashboard. For more on the college,
see this issue’s cover story.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 3
Volum e 24, Num ber 1
Stephen Ward
Executive Director of
University Communication
Editor
John D. Bland
Senior Director for
Public Relations & News Services
Associate Editors
Phillip Brown
Susan Shackelford
News Editor
Jared Moon
Contributing Writers
Phillip Brown
Wills Citty
Clark Curtis
Jennifer Howe
Shelly Theriault Muhl
Melba Newsome
Paul Nowell
Lynn Roberson
Michael J. Solender
Tom Whitestone
Staff Photograp her
Wade Bruton
Design & Produc tion
SPARK Publications
UNC Charlotte is published by
The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd.,
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
ISSN 10771913
Editorial offices:
110 Foundation Annex
The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte
8734 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223
704.687.7214
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Printed on
recycled paper
17,500 copies of this
publication were printed
at a cost of $.54 per piece,
for a total cost of $9,375.
Working on this edition has
reminded me how much we get
to say about UNC Charlotte
in 60 pages. Granted, we could publish
100 pages or more and still not cover all
the terrific people and programs at work
on our campus and in the community.
Yet, as we have expanded the page count
of this magazine, we have the opportunity
to depict an even broader snapshot of
the University.
In this edition, you will read about
topics as varied as campus construction,
the education of future teachers,
intercollegiate sports, resurrection of
a long lost modern dance classic, an
interdisciplinary community program to
aid people with mental health needs, and
a look at the importance of developing
critical thinking skills. You will also find
content about a new partnership to
expand education about Chinese culture,
profiles of interesting people – marching band members, a young alum pursuing pro football
and computer science, generous donors – a memorial to a legendary educator, and quite a
bit more. In sum, this edition gives you another snapshot of a dynamic University driven by
exceptional people making an exponential impact.
Thanks for reading!
Regards
John D. Bland, Editor
Senior Director for Public
Relations & News Services
[ e d ito r 's d esk ]
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is open to people of all races and is committed to
equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students or
employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability.
Exponential Impact
4 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
News Briefs www.UNCC.edu
By Shelly Theriault Muhl
Bioinformatics graduate student
Mohammed Zwayyer is one of nearly
225,000 UNC system students
preparing for a career. Zwayyer knows today’s
competitive professional landscape requires
even more than academic performance.
In 2013, the UNC system Faculty Advisory
Council to the UNC Strategic Directions
Committee published a paper “Our University,
Our Future,” noting “We must strive to prepare
the citizens of our state to be creative and critical
thinkers with both knowledge of the world and
the ability to forge pathways to excellence.”
A growing number of business recruiters
report that critical thinking — among other core
competencies that include communication skills,
historical and social perspective and creativity —
is recognized as “what employers want and where
higher education must go to thrive,” said Patrick
Madsen, Ph.D., director of UNC Charlotte’s
University Career Center. Corporate recruiters
look for applicants who not only understand their
field but also know how to approach problems,
create solutions and collaborate with others
toward goals, Madsen noted.
So how do students learn to think critically?
It’s a complex discussion as critical thinking
cannot be singularly defined; faculty, employers
and other stakeholders approach it from myriad
angles and perspectives.
This is where UNC Charlotte and partner
institution Kingston University London
recognized an untapped opportunity. Why not
harness these conversations into a larger, more
synergistic format? After several months of
planning, the universities held an interactive,
two-day symposium at UNC Charlotte Center
City. Participants examined questions such as,
“What does critical thinking look like?” “How
can it be taught across disciplines?” and “Can
critical thinking be measured?”
Entitled “Approaching a Common Language:
Critical Thinking Symposium for the UNC
System,” the event kicked off with more than
200 participants hearing keynote speaker Lesley-
Jane Eales-Reynolds, deputy vice chancellor
at Kingston University London. She shared
personal experiences in a talk called “Critical
Thinking — A Modern Solution to an Age-Old
Problem.” Afterward, attendees participated
in facilitated workshops, exploring issues such
as how to define critical thinking and how to
construct teaching curriculum around it.
A discussion panel consisting of UNC
Charlotte alumni and local corporate recruiters
highlighted the important symbiotic relationship
universities and employers share when it comes
to critical thinking.
Alumnus Caitlyn Swett, a freelance arts
administrator and independent dance maker,
encouraged the relationship. “I feel that, as
educators, facilitating collaboration in the
classroom is important when preparing students
for critical thinking in their academic experience
and career.” Panelists also encouraged students to
take advantage of resources available to them on
campus, such as the University Career Center.
Zwayyer, the bioinformatics graduate student,
exemplifies how critical thinking enriches a
student’s academic experience. He believes it has
already paid in dividends for him. “The general
education classes are the door to other worlds
and possibilities. I learned about my master’s
degree interest, bioinformatics, in one of those
classes,” he said. “I’ve (also) learned to apply the
scientific method in my field as well as my life
... corroborating theories or ideas with evidence
and litmus tests.”
Conversations did not end with the
symposium’s close. Heather McCullough, one
of the event’s planners and associate director for
the Center for Teaching and Learning, shared
that UNC Charlotte students will see critical
thinking and communication phased in as a
general education requirement in spring 2018.
“We look forward to supporting pedagogy that
strengthens our students’ critical thinking skills,”
McCullough said.
The University Career Center’s Madsen noted
that the center can facilitate incorporating a business
problem or need into a classroom assignment.
The center has several ongoing initiatives
with faculty, too, such as incorporating
competency-based goals into the classroom.
Instructors’ syllabuses can include “soft” learning
outcomes such as communication, teamwork
and time management, in addition to traditional
academic outcomes.
Editor’s Note: Businesses can learn more
about how they can connect with a UNC
Charlotte classroom at career.uncc.edu.
Shelly Theriault Muhl is communications
coordinator in Information Technology Services.
University bolsters teaching critical thinking
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 5
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
The UNC Charlotte chapter of the Bonner Leaders Program is
relatively new to campus. Yet, the participating students already are
engaged in efforts to serve the community.
This year’s cohort of 12 undergraduates is partnering with five
area nonprofits: Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency, Camino
Community Center, Discovery Place, Friendship Gardens/Friendship
Trays and the Levine Museum of the New South.
Through their work with the five partner agencies, Bonner Leaders
will contribute to community efforts that fight hunger, preserve cultural
histories, promote science education, increase access to health services
and address the digital divide.
The Bonner Leaders Program is part of a nationwide network of
more than 70 colleges and universities affiliated with and guided
by the Bonner Foundation, which works with these institutions to
support students to attend college and to be active and involved in the
greater community.
As part of the program, UNC Charlotte Bonner Leaders take
required courses devoted to themes that apply to their work outside
the classroom. Their curriculum is designed to build critical thinking,
problem solving and communication skills. Students also will conduct
undergraduate research and have the opportunity to minor in urban
youth and communities.
The College of Health and Human
Services and Mecklenburg County
Health Department have launched
a new partnership designed to
improve community health and
enhance education.
The Academy for Population Health
Innovation (APHI) will strive to
make Charlotte the nation’s healthiest
community through forward-thinking
research, implementation of evidence-based
practices in public health, training
and workforce development, and
community engagement.
The concept was co-developed by
Nancy Fey-Yensan, dean of the College
of Health and Human Services, and
Mecklenburg County Health Director
Marcus Plescia.
The APHI collaborative is uniquely
designed to advance the ability of
UNC Charlotte to provide world-class
training opportunities for students.
Students will work with the APHI team
on key health related issues facing the
community to better understand the
application of what they are learning in
the classroom.
Academy for
Public Health
Innovation launches
UNC Charlotte Provost and Vice Chancellor
for Academic Affairs Joan F. Lorden is the
recipient of the 2016 Charlotte Woman of the
Year Award for Civic Leadership and Service.
Bestowed by the Charlotte Woman of the
Year Committee, the honor is presented for
exceptional service and exemplary leadership.
Cyndee Patterson, president of The Lee
Institute and a 1997 Charlotte Woman
of the Year honoree, said, “Joan is truly a
servant leader. She leads by listening carefully,
asking insightful questions and then throws
herself into whatever project she takes on in
the community. Her accomplishments are
extraordinary and not heralded nearly enough.”
Lorden, who joined UNC Charlotte in
2003, is currently the UNC system’s longest-serving
provost and provides leadership for
seven colleges, the graduate school and multiple
research institutes.
As the University’s chief academic
officer, Lorden has spearheaded a renewed
commitment to deepening the scope of civic
engagement across the campus. The result has
been the implementation of an innovative,
action-oriented and civic-engagement approach
to curriculum that has affected thousands of
students, faculty and community partners.
Lorden’s community service is extensive.
She partnered with Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools to establish the Charlotte Engineering
Early College High School at UNC Charlotte;
she was an appointed member of the Arts and
Science Council’s Cultural Life Task Force;
she has served on the board of directors for the
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center; she was a
member of the Women’s Impact Fund Board;
and currently, she is a member of the board of
Discovery Place.
Provost Joan Lorden named 2016
Charlotte Woman of the Year
New program provides community engagement experiences for undergraduates
6 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
PORTAL is UNC Charlotte’s powerhouse of innovation, designed to support the
region’s entrepreneurial environment. Therefore, it was a fitting location for a major
announcement by Atom Power officials that it had secured an equity investment
from Siemens to advance its revolutionary circuit breaker design.
Ryan Kennedy, CEO of Atom Power and a UNC Charlotte alumnus, founded
the innovative company in 2014 to make commercial power safer and more efficient
through a novel circuit breaker design. The company has been headquartered in
PORTAL, since May 2015.
“For decades, circuit breakers and panels have been mostly mechanical in nature
with limited control points,” said Kennedy, who earned a bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering from UNC Charlotte. “Since our founding, we have developed
circuit breakers that are not only dynamic and intelligent but are making electricity
safe by preventing arc flash hazards.”
He said the funding, received in partnership with next47, the independent
innovation arm of Siemens, would accelerate Atom Power’s initiatives toward
achieving UL (Underwriter’s Laboratories) listing and development of higher
amperage circuit breakers currently under development.
Terry Royer, vice president of operations and product development for Siemens
Low Voltage and Product business, noted, “Atom Power is on the leading edge of
a fundamental change in the traditional circuit breaker and shows great promise
toward enhanced energy awareness and faster reactions times in an increasingly
complex energy landscape.”
“PORTAL was perfect for us, because we wanted to be close to the Lee College
of Engineering and the labs in EPIC,” Kennedy said. “EPIC has great, robust
infrastructure and the Electrical Engineering Department is very focused on power
at the systems level, which is a great fit with us.”
Symposium
addresses organ
donation shortages
The demand for organ transplants in the
United States continues to outpace the supply
by a ratio of 5-to-1. As one reads this, 21
people will die as a result of the organ shortage.
In February, representatives of the
Charlotte Eye Bank; the Organ Preservation
Alliance; LifeShare of the Carolinas; Carolinas
HealthCare System; and scientific researchers
in the fields of biology, engineering, and public
health from UNC Charlotte came together to
explore barriers to the donor shortage.
It marks the first time that researchers
from the Charlotte Banks initiative had an
opportunity to hear first-hand from LifeShare
staff and a Carolinas Medical Center transplant
surgeon on the challenges they face as they
work against the clock to save lives through
organ donation.
Charlotte Banks is a research initiative
based at UNC Charlotte aimed at extending
the potential storage time for donated organs
such as kidneys and livers, using technologies
such as ‘deep cold storage.’ It was founded by
Gloria Elliott, a UNC Charlotte professor and
associate chair of research in the Lee College of
Engineering, who is recognized for her research
in the areas of thermodynamics of biological
systems and focuses on short- and long-term
solutions to easing the donor shortage.
Elliott said technology using cryogenic
temperatures of 100-150 degrees below zero
could allow organs to be stored for months
instead of hours using current methods.
The symposium organizers stated the goal
of the February event was to continue the
dialogue related to organ donation shortage
and to become an annual event to celebrate
National Donor Day.
PORT AL powers
innovation in energy sector
Ryan Kennedy is CEO of Atom Power, a company working to make commercial
power safer. He also is a UNC Charlotte alumnus.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 7
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
Research explores
value of evaluating
peers’ writing
Practice giving feedback to peers and instruction
on evaluation using specific criteria can help
elementary school students improve their own
writing, according to a study co-authored by a Cato
College of Education professor.
Published in the journal Reading Research
Quarterly, the study was conducted by Zoi
Philippakos, assistant professor in the Department
of Reading and Elementary Education, and a
colleague from the University of Delaware, Newark.
The research examined the effects of giving
feedback on reviewers’ writing quality and inclusion
of elements of persuasion. Participants were fourth
and fifth-grade students.
In the study, fourth- and fifth-grade students
were trained to review and provide comments on
peers’ writing. They were then randomly assigned
to three groups: reviewers, reader-control and time-control.
The reviewers read persuasive essays written
by unknown students and provided numeric ratings
and feedback. The reader-control group read the
same papers but did not provide any feedback, and
the time-control group read narrative books.
Results indicated that both instruction in
evaluation criteria and the practice of peer reviewing
papers led to improvements in the quality of
students’ own writing.
“Compared to the control group, reviewers
improved the quality of their own persuasive
writing,” said Philippakos. “They also provided
more elements of persuasion compared to readers of
persuasive essays and to readers of narrative texts.”
“The likely explanation is that reviewing helped
students learn the evaluation criteria and apply
them when writing and revising their own essays,”
the authors noted.
With a wall of fans six-stories high creating winds in a huge, one-of-a-kind laboratory, researchers
from UNC Charlotte’s Fire Safety Engineering Technology program and the Insurance Institute
for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) are burning building materials and wildland vegetation
to study wind-driven wildfire embers. These large-scale tests are part of three-year study to
understand and, in the long run, mitigate the risks involved when embers from wildfires spread.
Sponsored by the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP), the $420,000 “Fire Ember Production
from Wildland and Structural Fuels” project brings together researchers from seven institutions.
Aixi Zhou, an associate professor in the Fire Safety Engineering Technology Department in the
Lee College of Engineering, is the principal investigator on the project.
“The project addresses the emerging problems we face as a nation with wildfire,” Zhou
said. “Human safety and property damage risks are increasing as development continues to
get closer and closer to wildland areas. The number of wildfires is also increasing, as warmer
temperatures and drought conditions are leading to more fires such as those in the North
Carolina and Tennessee mountains in fall 2016.”
The JFSP project aims to gain a better understanding of the embers produced during a wildfire
and to characterize them based on size and mass. The research includes small-scale laboratory ignition
tests and large-scale tests where vegetative and structural materials are burned in a wind tunnel.
The project involves testing building materials and vegetation to learn how to prevent or
reduce property damage from wildfires, and to help people understand the steps they can
take to protect their homes and businesses.
“This type of experience gets the students out in the field to learn,” Zhou said. “Experiential
learning is a key to all of our academic programs.”
Research teams take
aim at wildfire spread
UNC Charlotte with permission from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
UNC Charlotte researchers are making inroads in fire science, working to help save
lives, wildland vegetation and property.
8 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
University lands federal grant
for transportation research
In urban environments such as Charlotte, multiple options are needed to move
people and goods. To do so with maximum efficiency that relieves congestion
and improves the quality of life for city dwellers will require innovative research,
which is the aim of the Center for Advanced Multimodal Mobility Solutions and
Education (CAMMSE) at UNC Charlotte.
Using a $7.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, UNC
Charlotte will be the lead university for this novel multi-institutional center that
includes Texas Southern University, the University of Connecticut, the University of
Texas at Austin and Washington State University.
Multimodal transportation refers to the integrated network of roads, airports,
seaports, rails, transit systems, bicycle and pedestrian trails and walkways.
CAMMSE researchers will apply the multimodal term to the movement of people
and goods, with the aim of developing innovations to relieve congestion and
improve efficiency for both.
Investigators will work in collaboration with the Charlotte Area Transit System
(CATS) and the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT). “At UNC
Charlotte, we have expert faculty and great resources to help the community,”
said Wei Fan, associate professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department and principal investigator for the center. “This center will be very
important to the Charlotte area, the great state of North Carolina and the entire
Southeast region. We will use our research expertise to solve real-world problems
for CATS and NCDOT.”
M.S. in Mathematical
Finance Program
highly rated
UNC Charlotte’s Master of Science in
Mathematical Finance program is among the top
20 programs in the nation, ranking No. 18 in the
TFE Times’ 2017 Master of Financial Engineering
Program Rankings.
This is an increase from the previous No.
20 ranking for the Mathematical Finance
program, which currently enrolls more than 90
students. The TFE Times’ rankings are the most
comprehensive rankings for graduate financial
engineering, financial mathematics, quantitative
finance, computational finance and mathematical
finance programs in the United States. The
rankings are calculated based on a series of factors,
including average GRE scores, starting salaries,
undergraduate GPA, acceptance rates, and the
number of employed graduates.
Located in the second largest financial center in
the U.S., UNC Charlotte’s Mathematical Finance
program is a joint program of the Departments
of Finance and Economics in the Belk College of
Business and the Department of Mathematics and
Statistics in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
New Public Management
Certificate launches
Managers in the public sector face specific
challenges that are different from those working in
the for-profit arena. To address these challenges,
UNC Charlotte’s Master of Public Administration
Program, in partnership with the University’s
Continuing Education Office, is launching the
MPA Public Management Academy Professional
Development Certificate program.
“There are certainly generic management skills
relevant to any setting, but there are fundamental
differences between the private and public sectors.
Government and nonprofit managers must
appreciate these differences to be effective,” said
Tom Barth, director of the University’s MPA
program and co-developer of this new noncredit
certificate program.
Barth has enlisted UNC Charlotte faculty and
seasoned professionals working in the field to teach
each daylong session. Topics will include “Leading
and Managing in a Government and Nonprofit
Context,” “Setting Goals and Achieving Outcomes”
and “The Power of Data for Public Managers.”
UNC Charlotte
Center City
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 9
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
Tax team places second
in national competition
A five-student team from UNC Charlotte earned second
place among nine top-ranked teams in the national Deloitte
FanTAXtic, Deloitte’s student Tax Case Study Competition.
The UNC Charlotte team earned $1,000 per student and
a $5,000 institutional award at the competition.
Prior to the final competition, 60 teams representing 43
colleges and universities participated in regional qualifier
events in 13 Deloitte offices throughout the country. The
UNC Charlotte team was named as one of nine regional
winners of Deloitte FanTAXtic, advancing to the national
competition. In addition, a second UNC Charlotte
team finished second in regionals, receiving a national
honorable mention.
The students from UNC Charlotte’s Turner School
of Accountancy demonstrated the ability to work
collaboratively to solve a complex business case simulation.
Hardin receives Witherspoon
Distinguished Service Award
The Cooperative Christian Ministry
recognized Elizabeth Hardin, vice
chancellor for business affairs, with the
2016 Loy Witherspoon Distinguished
Service Award.
The award is named for the late
Loy Witherspoon, who founded
Cooperative Christian Ministry in 1964
after being recruited by Bonnie Cone
to serve as the first chair of what was
then Charlotte College’s Department of
Philosophy and Religion and to serve as the campus minister.
Witherspoon died Jan. 15.
Hardin was recognized for her work with Rev. Steve
Cheyney, Niner United’s campus minister, to secure
a $100,000 grant from the Indianapolis-based Lilly
Endowment’s Theological Exploration of Vocation for Campus
Ministries Initiative. The grant, awarded in 2014, was one of
only 21 across the country.
During her acceptance remarks, Hardin cited two forces, in
addition to her religious faith, that drive her desire to serve the
students of UNC Charlotte through Niner United.
The first is the power of public education, and specifically
higher education, to help close the opportunity gap in the
United States, a topic that has interested Hardin since she was
a teenager.
The second influence was having the opportunity to get
to know Cone and Witherspoon and seeing firsthand their
commitment to educating the whole student – both inside and
outside the classroom. Witherspoon especially left a lasting
impact through the campus ministry.
MUD Program joins
joint design project
The School of Architecture’s Master of Urban Design studio has
joined urban design students from Georgia Institute of Technology
and the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji
University (Shanghai, China) for a joint urban design studio
project. The studio is led by Assistant Professor Ming-Chun Lee.
The project began with three days of field surveys/site analyses in
Savannah, Georgia, using analytical essays about the 18th-century
plan for the city by James Edward Oglethorpe.
The students then traveled to Atlanta, where, over the course of a
week, they developed proposals for three sites in Atlanta – Centennial
Place, Renaissance Park and the Atlanta Civic Center. These research-based
proposals draw upon both the analyses of Savannah and the
histories and site situations of the areas in Atlanta (neighborhoods
formerly known as Tanyard Bottom and Buttermilk Bottom), to
examine how to create better cities, or parts of cities, for everyone.
Hardin
UNC Charlotte urban design students are working with peers at
Georgia Tech and Tongji University (Shanghai, China).
10 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ NEWs B RIEFS ]
CHS reaches $5
million research goal
Three years ago, the College of Health and
Human Services set an aspirational goal to
reach a goal of $5 million in competitive
external funding. To help support the
work of talented faculty and their students,
the college has made progressive and
strategic investments in strengthening its
internal pre- and post-award grants and
contracts structure.
Systematic strengthening of the
communications and relationship with
the Office of Research and Economic
Development proved to be key. The college
financially supports Project Mosaic, UNC
Charlotte’s social science research initiative,
and it continues to invest in CHHS research
academies as a way to provide communities
of scholars the choice to interface and submit
grants with faculty who share common
interests and goals.
“The vision, dedication, persistence and
talent of faculty helped to reach the goal,
and most importantly, the research in the
college not only trains the next generation
of practitioners and researchers, but changes
lives for the better in the region’s communities
– a central theme in the college mission,” said
Nancy Fey-Yensan, dean of the College of
Health and Human Services.
Hechenbleikner Lake
designated Certified
Wildlife Habitat
UNC Charlotte’s Hechenbleikner Lake recently earned the designation of
a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization,
the National Wildlife Federation recognized the University’s efforts to
spearhead initiatives to create and maintain a space on campus that is
wildlife hospitable.
Certification also makes Hechenbleikner Lake part of the Million
Pollinator Garden Challenge, a national effort to restore critical
habitat for pollinators.
Hechenbleikner Lake is named for biology professor Herbert
Hechenbleikner, who was recruited to the faculty by University founder
Bonnie Cone. He is credited with the creation of the Van Landingham
Glen, which was the basis for the University’s Botanical Gardens.
CLAS professor garners
prestigious fellowship
Associate Professor of French Allison Stedman has received a
prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to
complete a book project with relevance for understanding mind-body
connections, the history of medicine, miracles, mysticism,
holism and metaphysical theology.
The year-long fellowship will support the outcome of in-depth
research to be conducted at the Arsenal Library and the French
National Library in Paris, for Stedman’s book “The Mind-Body
Connection in Early Modern France, 1580-1735: Metaphysics,
Mysticism, Miracles, Medicine.”
“This NEH Fellowship is a distinct honor, and we are so proud
of Dr. Stedman,” said Nancy A. Gutierrez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at
UNC Charlotte. “The award will support her research and will generate knowledge that can
be shared with our students and the broader community. Learning from the past is critical
as we confront the challenges of today.”
Stedman’s project is expected to generate knowledge with connections to an array of
disciplines and interests.
“I think a lot of people are curious about how the mind-body connection works,
especially if they have ever experienced an illness or watched a loved one suffer from
symptoms that modern medicine was unable to diagnose or to cure,” Stedman said.
Stedman did preliminary research at the Arsenal Library in 2011, focused on the
psychological repercussions of religious conversion during the French 1600s. Her
exploration of the narratives she found there opened her eyes to broader implications and
led her to seek support for expanded research with relevance to today’s views of medicine
and healing.
“To have the NEH agree to fund my project as a full-year faculty fellowship is an honor
beyond an honor and a blessing beyond a blessing,” Stedman said. “Without this fellowship
the project would have taken many more years to complete.”
Stedman
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 11
[ COv e r Story ]
UNC Charlotte has long been a respected producer
of top teachers, counselors and school leaders,
especially in the Charlotte region. That standing
received a major endorsement this fall when the Cato
Corporation made a $5 million gift to the College
of Education, resulting in its renaming as the Cato
College of Education. The Cato gift underscores UNC
Charlotte’s educational leadership and enhances it by
funding student scholarships and faculty awards (see
sidebar, page 16). It also draws attention to its leading-edge
work in teacher recruitment, teacher training
and research.
Here is glimpse at that work:
Teaching for Invigorated by
$5 million gift,
Cato College
of Education
embraces role
as leader
By W i l l s C i t t y
Cato College of Education alumna Jordan Todd was named 2016 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Teacher of the Year.
12 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ COv e r Story ]
To maintain teacher quality, school
districts and colleges of education must
ensure the so-called “teacher pipeline” is
replete with a steady stream of educators-in-
training. The task can be challenging.
Recent years have seen the teaching
profession absorb the growing pains of
new educational paradigms and the need
to cater to increasingly diverse student
populations. As a result, educational leaders
have sought answers through creativity
and collaboration.
A new partnership between the Cato
College of Education and Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is emblematic
of that approach. Beginning this fall,
the new Charlotte Early College for
Teachers will enroll high school freshmen
interested in working in education in a
comprehensive five-year program on the
UNC Charlotte campus.
“It’s about what we can do as a school
system to grow our own teachers here at
home,” said CMS Superintendent Ann
Clark, who collaborated with Cato College
Dean Ellen McIntyre to build the initiative.
The only program of its kind in North
Carolina and one of the first in the country,
the early college will immerse students in
intentional field-based learning activities.
Coursework will develop knowledge and
skills required for success within today’s
diverse urban classrooms. Students will
graduate with a high school diploma,
a Certificate of Advanced Standing in
Education and what may prove especially
attractive to many prospective enrollees —
a minimum of 60 hours in course credits
transferrable to any public institution in
North Carolina.
“When the students complete their last
year, they will likely have at least as many
hours in a classroom as students who are
a year ahead of them in the traditional
four-year education program,” said Michael
Putman, chairperson of the Department of
Reading and Elementary Education and a
project lead. “This allows the early college
students to really self-reflect about which
level of student is the best fit for them.”
Early nurturing of a student’s inclination
toward a career in teaching is beneficial
in multiple ways, Superintendent Clark
said — providing a boost in the number of
educators in training and helping prepare
them to succeed as teachers over the critical
first years in the classroom.
Added Putman, “The earlier we can get
them into educational contexts to work
with students, the better.”
Early college students will participate in
clinical placements in urban schools focused
on developing relationships with students
who represent future attendees of the
program. Each grade also will participate
in one significant urban cultural event each
academic year focused on art, music, theater
or history.
The program will be housed in the
Cato College building, providing students
the opportunity to experience the vibrant
atmosphere of a college campus. All
incoming CMS freshmen interested in the
program will be able to apply through an
open lottery process. The first class of 55
freshmen will start class in August.
Tomorrow
Michael
Putman
Teacher Recruitment:
Early College
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 13
[ COv e r Story ]
Cato Gift Creates
Student Scholarships,
Faculty Awards
Following a $5 million gift this fall to UNC Charlotte,
the College of Education has been renamed the Cato
College of Education.
The Cato Corporation, a retailer of women’s fashions and
accessories, made the gift to the University’s $200 million
fundraising campaign, “EXPONENTIAL: The Campaign for
UNC Charlotte.”
The gift funds the Cato Scholarship for Education, established
to provide annual financial scholarship assistance to incoming
freshman or transfer students who plan to major in a degree
program offered by Cato College.
The Cato Award for Faculty Excellence will help retain the
highest quality faculty. Two awards will be given yearly to promising
researchers. Two additional awards will be given to tenured faculty
for excellence in teaching, research or community engagement.
“The Cato College of Education is committed to preparing
outstanding teachers, counselors and school leaders,” said
Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “That mission is advanced
significantly by this gift, which will help us to recruit bright
students who wish to pursue a major within the college as well
as to support outstanding faculty for their excellence in teaching,
research and community engagement.”
Alumnus John Cato (’73) serves as chairman, president and
CEO of the Cato Corporation, whose headquarters are in Charlotte.
“Both the Cato Corporation and the Cato family have long been
committed to supporting education,” he said. “Teachers have the
ability to educate and inspire their students, and the College of
Education has a great tradition of preparing teachers for success.”
Christina Gullo, a recipient of a separate Cato-backed
scholarship, said, “To me, scholarships mean more than money,
they mean opportunity. Because of these scholarships, I am able
to learn and grow, both as a student and person.”
Cato has served the University in various capacities during the
years; he is a former member of the UNC Charlotte Foundation
Board and the UNC Charlotte Board of Visitors. Currently, he
serves on the Belk College of Business Advisory Board and was
inducted into the UNC Charlotte Alumni Hall of Fame in 2012.
“The Cato gift is critical right now,” said Ellen McIntyre,
dean of Cato College. “We have been looking for ways to
support more students who are thinking about teaching as
a career, and the scholarships provide another significant
incentive. For some, it may be the extra support they need to
even go to college.”
Alumnus John Cato (‘73), Chancellor Dubois and Dean Ellen McIntyre of the Cato College of Education celebrated a gift that
enhances opportunity through student scholarships and recognizes talent through faculty awards.
14 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ COv e r Story ]
Even before the first early college students arrive, UNC Charlotte
will debut a new model to improve teacher preparation at the
undergraduate level.
This June, the Cato College of Education will host a four-day
institute for key professionals who participate in teacher education.
The institute will bring together teacher educators, university
supervisors and school-based K-12 teachers to build a common
understanding of accomplished teaching and to develop coaching
skills to better support teacher candidates.
The institute will be planned and facilitated by “Deans for
Impact,” a national nonprofit dedicated to the improving teacher
preparation, and will be attended by representatives from Charlotte-
Mecklenburg, Cabarrus County and Rowan-Salisbury schools.
“This institute is critical for establishing a common understanding
about what we mean when we say ‘accomplished teaching,’” said
Ellen McIntyre, dean of Cato College. “Right now, many of these
professionals work in silos. We believe that we can all raise our own
skills in how to coach students toward becoming the best teachers
they can be.”
The two-year pilot program is funded by a grant of more than
$230,000 provided by the Belk Foundation and is backed by in-kind
support of the Cato College.
“With the collaboration of national experts ‘Deans for Impact,’
we believe that UNC Charlotte is going to be a frontrunner in
re-imagining clinical practice for aspiring teachers,” said Johanna
Anderson, executive director of the Belk Foundation. “The deep
collaboration with the partnering school districts is essential to ensure
that aspiring teachers are getting a realistic and supportive entry into
the classroom.”
After the institute, participants will form learning teams with
student teachers for a yearlong collaboration to prepare the candidates
to be successful. Members of the teams will observe and coach
the teacher candidates and then meet as teams to support their
development. A subset of each group will create five-minute videos of
expert teacher preparation and accomplished teaching.
An evaluation of the pilot will include a comparison of 60 pilot
candidates’ scores with 120 non-pilot candidates scores on three
measures, the student-teacher observation protocol, externally scored
portfolios and the senior exit survey.
Teacher TRAINING:
A NEW MODEL
“This institute is critical for establishing a
comon understanding about what we mean
when we say ‘accomplished teaching.’”
Ellen
McIntyre
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 15
[ COv e r Story ]
The last two CMS Teachers
of the Year were Charlotte 49ers.
They are Matthew Dukes
and Jordan Todd.
Dukes and Todd are among the
many Cato College alums who
have taken home districtwide
awards in recent years. In 2015
and 2016 in North Carolina, Cato
College graduates earned teacher
or administrator of the year honors
in Ashe, Cabarrus, Gaston and
Greene counties, as well as in the
city schools of Kannapolis
and Newton-Conover.
As part of its five-year strategic plan, Cato College
of Education has renewed its focus on research
and is especially interested in encouraging internal
cooperation and mentorship. “Collaboration
is the hallmark of research in our college,” said
Dawson Hancock, associate dean for research and
graduate studies. “The research process improves
significantly when multiple faculty and students
engage in discussion and research around topics of
critical interest to our constituencies.”
This emphasis has started to yield results; here is
a look at three projects.
Learning from
a Preschool’s
Literary Success
For faculty, research takes on added meaning
when it hits close to home. Castles Daycare
Academy is a fixture in the primarily low-income,
African-American Oak Forest neighborhood of
Charlotte, where the academy serves children ages
2 to 12.
For three decades, Castles Daycare has provided
high-quality, reading-rich child care and preschool
services. Castles has an impressive track record in
early literacy and preparing students for school, and
Cato College researchers are now set to find out
how they do it.
A $42,500 donation from Charlotte
philanthropist Charlie Elberson’s Reemprise Fund
is backing a study of academic outcomes and
learning strategies at the center. The study will
follow students there for a year, tracking how they
learn and develop. Researchers will document
instructional practices, videotape teaching and
learning and interview teachers, families and
children at the center.
According to Castles director Cynthia Knight,
the academy’s recipe for success is simple.
“Inspiration. You have to inspire children to
learn and ignite them with the power to tap into
their creativity and express their thoughts,” she
said. “We have to help them understand that they
are reading for knowledge and that this knowledge
they acquire makes them powerful.”
The research team studying Castles is composed
of Ellen McIntyre, dean of Cato College; Amy
Hawn Nelson, director of UNC Charlotte’s
Institute for Social Capital; and Cynthia Baughan,
assistant professor of early education.
The researchers hope to use their findings to
contribute to Read Charlotte’s goal of doubling
the number of third graders reading on grade level
by 2025, to work with local leaders to shape new
pre-K programs and to inform teacher preparation
programs at UNC Charlotte.
Many Students Exceed
Age-Based Grade Levels
Traditional age-based grade levels may hamper
the progress of millions of K-12 students in the
United States and should be a target for reform,
according to a study co-authored by a UNC
Charlotte professor who focuses on gifted students.
Michael Matthews, professor of special
education and child development, and colleagues
found that between 15 and 45 percent of students
enter upper elementary school already performing
at least one year above grade level. They came to
this conclusion after studying data from a sample of
state and national assessments.
“The numbers are far higher than we expected,
especially for the proportion of children who
already are achieving three or more years
above grade level in elementary school,” said
Matthews. “We already knew that acceleration is
tremendously underutilized, but it looks like vastly
more students could benefit from being allowed
to move through the educational system at a more
rapid pace.”
The study found that 11 to 30 percent of
elementary school students perform at least one
year above their current grade level in mathematics
and between 20 and 40 percent of students are
a level ahead in reading. As a result, billions are
wasted annually teaching students content they
already know, the researchers say.
They recommend more systematic monitoring
of advanced students and a more liberal
application of acceleration policies, including
grade skipping. The authors also suggest
instructional models that cluster students based
No. 1
1,500
1,250
718
2
UNC Charlotte is the No. 1
producer of newly licensed
teachers in the state, according to
the most recently available data
from the UNC Educator Quality
Dashboard.
From 2012-14, the
Cato College of Education
produced more than 1,500
new teachers in North Carolina.
More than 1,250 Cato College
alums teach in Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools (CMS).
718 of those teachers work
in low-income schools.
By The Numbers Research:
A Renewed Focus
16 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ COv e r Story ]
on their level of prior learning could narrow that range and
improve achievement of children at all levels.
Student Perceptions
Influence School Behavior
Social and physical surroundings of a school, and the way
students perceive them, may go a long way to determining
student behavior.
Anne Cash, an assistant professor in the Department
of Elementary Education, and her colleagues measured
school ownership, disorder (such as litter and graffiti) and
surveillance. The researchers also considered interactions
between students and school staff.
The study applied two social theories to the school
environment. Social disorganization theory speaks to
environmental conditions that influence individuals to engage
in crime and violence. Broken windows theory deals with lack
of order signaling a lack of social control, thus encouraging
crime and delinquency.
The findings suggest that although there are no direct
effects of the physical environment on student involvement in
violence, there are significant indirect effects through student
perceptions of rules and consequences.
“We learned that both lighting in schools and observed
negative student behaviors in schools were both related
to students’ perceptions of school rules and consequences
… which in turn were related to students’ involvement in
violence,” said Cash.
Findings from the study stress the need for violence
prevention through interventions that address physical needs,
social needs and student perceptions of order and disorder
within high schools.
Such interventions establish clear norms for behavior,
support positive relationships and create physical
environments that are safe and conducive for learning. Cash
and her co-authors collected data from approximately 28,500
students from 58 high schools in Maryland.
Wills Citty is the director of communication for the Cato College
of Education and the College of Health and Human Services.
Castles has an impressive track record in early literacy
and preparing students for school, and Cato College
researchers are now set to find out how they do it.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 17
49ers Notebook
Olympic ‘Push’
Track star Briauna Jones
makes USA Bobsled
National Team
By N at e W i s e
UNC Charlotte track and field alumna Briauna
Jones didn’t know her career as an athlete would
take her from polyurethane tracks to ice, but she
did know she was willing to do whatever it took
to chase her dream of being an Olympian.
After a successful tenure as a sprinter and
jumper with the Charlotte 49ers, Jones was
one of 22 athletes named to the USA Bobsled
National Team in November after an impressive
showing in training and trials in Lake Placid,
New York, and Park City, Utah. Jones earned a
place on the women’s push team.
“Everyone was telling me that I was just a
rookie and that I shouldn’t be taken aback if
I didn’t do very well, but that just fueled me,”
Jones recalled. “It all kind of clicked, and I
beat a bunch of the veterans. That’s when I
knew I belonged.”
A native of Summerville, South Carolina,
Jones compiled an impressive resume of awards
and records before graduating in 2014. She
holds a place on the school’s top-10 list for the
following events: indoor 60-meter dash, indoor
and outdoor long jump, indoor and outdoor
triple jump and indoor and outdoor high
jump. She also was a multiple-time conference
medalist in each of those events, but perhaps
her greatest achievement came in 2012 when
18 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ 4 9 e r s notebook ]
she helped the program’s 4x100 relay team earn
a trip to the national championships.
Most recently, Jones served as a volunteer
coach with the Charlotte track and field
program under Director of Track and Field and
Cross Country Bob Olesen, whose impact on
her life cannot be understated.
“Coach Olesen was a huge factor every step
of the way,” said Jones. “Not only did he help
me build that strength and speed needed in
bobsled, but he was the one that hinted at me
that I could pursue a career in bobsled.”
Now in his 16th season at the helm of
Charlotte track and field, Olesen was a member
of the U.S. bobsled team himself, representing
his country in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano,
Japan. His two-man sled teams accumulated
11 World Cup medals, including two bronze
at the 1997 World Championships. His tenure
with the team lasted from 1994 to 1998,
during which time he also earned the 1995-96
U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Athlete of
the Year Award in the sport of bobsled and was
a member of the 1996-97 USOC two-man
bobsled team of the year.
Now Jones hopes to follow in his footsteps
and find success in a sport that she never
expected to compete in. “He knows I’m not a
fan of cold weather,” she said with a laugh. “He
was kind of hesitant at first, but I told him I
was willing to try anything.”
With recent competition completed in
Whistler, Canada, World Cup action continued
with races in Altenberg and Winterberg,
Germany, before heading to St. Moritz,
Switzerland. At St. Moritz, Jones teamed with
one of this country’s greatest bobsledders in
Elana Meyers Taylor and won gold on Jan. 21.
From there, the tour returned to Germany in
Koenigssee before heading to Igls, Austria, and
then to the 2017 World Championships in
Sochi, Russia.
The season will conclude with the eighth
and final World Cup of the season in
PyeongChang, South Korea. If Jones is selected
for the U.S. Olympic bobsled team in the
winter of 2018, she would be the first student-athlete
in Charlotte history to represent the
red, white and blue in the Olympics. She is
eager for the opportunity.
“Charlotte has been an amazing support
system for me from the moment I walked on
campus, so I just want to represent my city
proudly,” she said.
Nate Wise is a media relations assistant in the
Sports Information Office.
Baseball Team Plays
Two Games Uptown
In conjunction with the Charlotte Knights, the
Charlotte 49ers baseball team scheduled two
games at BB&T Ballpark in uptown Charlotte in 2017.
The 49ers hosted Wake Forest March 21 and
faced N.C. State in the annual “Uptown Showdown”
March 28.
“The Knights are a first-class organization,”
said head baseball coach Loren Hibbs of the AAA
franchise. “We are thrilled to partner with them
again in 2017 and bring two great rivalry games
to BB&T Ballpark. These uptown games provide
enormous exposure and opportunity for our
players and baseball program.”
Let Me Play Tops $200,000, Sets Record
The Charlotte 49ers Athletic Foundation raised more than $200,000 at its Let Me Play Luncheon
in October at the Charlotte Convention Center. It was a record amount for the event.
The 13th annual luncheon was highlighted by a keynote address from event
chairperson Lynn Good, chairman and CEO of Duke Energy.
David Marsh, 2016 USA Olympic head women’s swimming coach, offered an
athlete’s perspective on the qualities athletic participation can build in young women.
Proceeds from the event benefit the school’s women’s athletics programs.
The Athletic Foundation
will host its 40th annual
49er Club Golf Outing
in April and 34th annual
Gold Rush Auction in
June. To learn more about
these events and supporting
Charlotte 49er athletics,
contact the foundation at
704-687-1046.
Golf, Auction Events this Spring
40th Annual 49er Club Golf Outing
Sponsors: Mecklenburg Valve Source, Vannoy Construction
Monday, April 24
Pine Island Country Club
34th Annual Great Gold Rush Auction
Sponsor: Chartwells, a division of Compass Group
Saturday, June 3
Dale F. Halton Arena and James H. Barnhardt Student
Activity Center
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 19
[ 4 9 e r s Notebook ]
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi became the first 49ers football player to be
invited to the NFL Combine in preparation for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Ogunjobi, who holds school career records for tackles, sacks and tackles for
loss, was a first-team all-Conference USA choice in the fall. He became the first
49er invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, held Jan. 28 in Mobile, Alabama. The
NFL Combine was Feb. 28-March 6, and the 2017 NFL Draft is April 27-29.
The 49ers’ nationally-ranked men’s soccer team sent two players to the
MLS Combine Jan. 8-12 in Los Angeles. Seniors Brandt Bronico and Matej
Dekovic became the sixth and seventh 49ers invited to the combine.
Bronico, who scored on a 25-yard rocket at the event, was the Conference
USA Player of the Year and the league’s Offensive MVP. He earned second-team
all-America honors from College Soccer News and helped the 49ers to four
straight NCAA tournament bids and three national seeds during his career.
Dekovic was a first-team all-Conference USA defender who was named
all-Southeast Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Both Bronico and Dekovic were drafted by the Chicago Fire.
Trio Invited to Pro Combines
NFL
Combine
2017
Larry Ogunjobi
MLS Combine
2017
Brandt Bronico,
Matej Dekovic
2016
Kyle Parker
2014
Tyler Gibson
2013
Donnie Smith
2012
Evan James,
Charles Rodriguez
Ogunjobi Bronico Dekovic
Pictured above are 14 of the Charlotte 49ers football players who graduated in December 2016. From left: Austin Duke; Jamal Covington;
Brandon Banks; Lee McNeill; Stephen Muscarello; Casey Perry; Zach Bumgarner; Larry Ogunjobi; Thomas LaBianca; Jarred Barr; Matt
Johnson; Cameron Curlings; Keaston Sinicki; Hayden Pezzoni.
20 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ B Y THE NUMBERS ]
2016-17 (incomplete year)
Name Sport Major Team
Callum Montgomery Soccer Biology Second
2015-16
Lexi Betancourt Softball Exercise Science Third
Haley Pace Softball Accounting Third
2013-14
Tyler Gibson Men’s Soccer Marketing Third
2012-13
Shane Basen Baseball Accounting and Finance First
2011-12
Jason Roberts Track and Field Accounting Second
Shane Basen Baseball Accounting and Finance Second
Macey Ruble Track and Field Physics and Mathematics Third
2010-11
Darius Law Track and Field Business Management First
2009-10
Adam Gross Soccer Business Management First
Hailey Beam Soccer Finance and Marketing First
Corey Nagy Golf Psychology Third
Darius Law Track and Field Business Management First
2008-09
Adam Gross Soccer Business Management Third
Nikki (Labuda) Czaplicki Soccer Mathematical Finance First
Hailey Beam Soccer Business Finance Second
Darius Law Track and Field Accounting Second
Lamarra Currie Track and Field Psychology First
2007-08
Lindsey (Beam) Ozimek Soccer Special Education First
Lamarra Currie Track and Field Psychology First
Jonas Enander Hedin Golf Business Management Second
2006-07
Lindsey (Beam) Ozimek Soccer Special Education First
Nikki (Labuda) Czaplicki Soccer Mathematics & Economics Second
Kelsie Ormsby Soccer Biology Third
Jane Daniels Track and Field Biology First
Sharonda Johnson Track and Field Chemistry Second
2005-06
Lindsey (Beam) Ozimek Soccer Special Education Third
Cassie Ficken Track and Field Civil Engineering Second
Mike Ambrose Baseball Psychology First
Sharonda Johnson Track and Field Chemistry Second
2003-04
Lindsay Duncan Soccer Communication Studies Third
Sharonda Johnson Track and Field Chemistry Third
2001-02
Jobey Thomas Basketball Communication Studies Second
Ola Jonsson Tennis Business Management First
2000-01
Karin Levin Track and Field Elementary Education Second
1997-98
Jim Kunevicius Soccer Information Management First
Tiffany Howard Softball International Business Third
1996-97
Jim Kunevicius Soccer Information Management Second
1992-93
Christopher Mark Tennis Electrical Engineering Second
1991-92
Christopher Mark Tennis Electrical Engineering Second
1987-88
Steve Wagoner Baseball Biology Second
1985-86
Craig Brown Soccer Economics First
Steve Wagoner Baseball Biology Second
1984-85
Siobhan Riley Tennis Nursing Third
49ers Academic All-Americas
This fall, men’s soccer player Callum Montgomery became the
University’s 44th Academic all-America. He joined a distinguished list
of honorees dating back to 1984-85.
Note that the 2016-17 academic/athletic year is incomplete at this
writing and that some Academic all-Americas changed their majors
during their years at UNC Charlotte.
’80s ’90s ’00s ’10s First Second Third
4 5 26 9 15 17 12
By Decade By Team
By Year
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 21
[ Feature ]
22 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
Created in 1962 with
sets and costumes
by artist Robert
Rauschenberg, the work
was last performed
in 1964 and thought
lost to the company.
[ Feature ]
Lost &
Kim Jones reconstructs
Paul Taylor work to benefit
students, audiences,
history of dance
Found
By M i c h a e l J . S o l e n d e r
Late last fall, Charlotte-area dance enthusiasts
experienced a performance at Robinson Hall that
featured the work of internationally renowned
choreographer Paul Taylor.
As audience members thrilled to the rebirth of his all
but lost work “Tracer,” performed by the New York City-based
Taylor 2 Dance Company, it’s unlikely many at the
sold-out performance realized they were seeing the results
of an extensive faculty research project.
Kim Jones certainly did. The College of Arts +
Architecture associate professor of dance watched
from the wings with a sense of deep satisfaction
and accomplishment.
The reemergence of “Tracer” capped an 18-month
reconstruction project led by Jones and represents an
extraordinary collaboration among UNC Charlotte,
Paul Taylor American Modern Dance and community
partners in Charlotte.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 23
[ Feature ]
Seminal Artist
Leading the movement of postmodern
choreographers during the early ’60s, Taylor and
his work demonstrated a creative intensity with
“a direct kinesthetic impact, lifting the spectator
to a state resembling a luminous cloud,” said
Dance Magazine in 1963. Taylor is one of
the few remaining third-generation American
modern dance masters and considered a seminal
artist of his generation.
In 2015, Jones was approached by Taylor’s
company to reconstruct “Tracer.” Created in
1962 with sets and costumes by artist Robert
Rauschenberg, the work was last performed in
1964 and thought lost to the company with
no recorded footage or accessible notes. The
company tapped Jones after her successful
reimagination and choreography of the lost 1935
Martha Graham solo work, “Imperial Gesture.”
This was the first time Taylor authorized an
externally led reconstruction of his work.
Jones’ sleuthing began with a semester-long
research sabbatical where she spent
weeks combing archives for clues at the
Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New
York Public Library. Jones conducted dancer
interviews and studied critical reviews, costume
design, staging, music and still images. Her most
significant discoveries, however, were made in
Taylor’s own archives.
“I found several reviews, the original Robert
Rauschenberg costumes, six handwritten pages
of Paul’s detailed notes, and most amazingly, a
reel of the original James Tenney score in the
Taylor archives,” Jones said. “The reel was given
to a sound engineer who was able to extract and
enhance a recording with excellent quality.”
Taylor 2 Residency
on Campus
Jones worked directly with Taylor’s
second company, Taylor 2, in New York. She
subsequently fine-tuned the dance with the
troupe during its three-week residency at UNC
Charlotte. As part of the residency, the dancers
and rehearsal director also worked directly with
students, conducted master classes and held
two public performances.
“The project had a great impact on our
students,” Jones said. “They were able to
engage directly with professional artists in the
studio, working on the nuances of style and
rigor it takes to do the reconstruction and fine-tune
details of the dance.”
Jones developed two specific curriculum
components for student learning as part of
the project. “Our ‘Performance Practicum’ is
a course where students learn choreography,”
she said. “Students perform the choreographic
works in our biannual dance concert and learn
what is behind producing a great show. With
the ‘Tracer’ project, they got the chance to
work with the Taylor 2 dancers and experience
what’s involved in staging work at this level.”
Jones also collaborated with her former
Kim Jones (right)
speaks with dancers
at rehearsal. The
reemergence of Paul
Taylor’s “Tracer”
capped an 18-month
reconstruction project
led by Jones.
24 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ Feature ]
professor at Florida State University, Tim
Glenn, on a “Dance Documentation” course
developed to take advantage of the detailed
research involved in the reconstructive process.
The coursework focused on student learning
techniques and processes to document dance
reconstruction, ranging from interviewing
artists to editing raw video footage.
So significant was the research opportunity,
the reconstruction/residency project was
awarded a 2016 Art Works grant from the
National Endowment for the Arts. The project
also received an Arts & Science Council grant
and a residency sponsorship from the Wells
Fargo Foundation.
“The project fulfills three mandates of the
University,” said Ann Dils, professor and chair
of the Department of Dance at UNC Charlotte.
“The project is a distinct and unique research
opportunity; it creates unique curriculum
to benefit students; and it addresses our
responsibility to build community partnerships.”
Partnering with
the Community
In bringing Taylor’s troupe to Charlotte,
the University also facilitated opportunities for
interaction with community partners. In April,
Central Piedmont Community College and
Charlotte Ballet are teaming up to bring the
Paul Taylor Dance Company (main troupe) to
Charlotte for the first time in 15 years.
The company will perform as part of the
Sensoria Festival of the Arts, with a program
that features “The Rite of Spring,” performed
to live music, using the four-hand piano
arrangement of composer Igor Stravinsky’s
original orchestration.
Later this year, UNC Charlotte students
will take “Tracer” into area middle and high
schools, reaching out to local youth and
demonstrating the beauty of arts education.
For Paul Taylor American Modern
Dance, the “Tracer” project has been
a resounding success. “It is incredibly
important to the art form that we not
lose our past,” said John Tomlinson,
executive director of the Paul Taylor
Dance Company. “We started a
repertory preservation project in 1992,
and this project fits nicely with our
ongoing efforts.”
“Tracer” is part of the Taylor 2 repertory
and has already been performed for
audiences in Providence, Rhode Island,
and New York City. New York Times
dance critic Alastair Macaulay gave the
New York production a positive review,
citing Jones as a “dance scholar” and
noting the debut of the reconstructed piece
occurred at UNC Charlotte.
“This project is important in many
ways,” Jones said. “It is important to expose
the American history of modern dance. It’s
exciting to go behind the works done in the
20th century and explore how we respond to
it. I’m incredibly proud to be a part of that.”
So significant was the
research opportunity,
the reconstruction/
residency project was
awarded a 2016 Art Works
grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 25
[ Feature ]
A Confucius Institute will open at UNC Charlotte in summer
2017 to broaden the University’s outreach and support
for language instruction and cultural opportunities in the
Charlotte community.
“The Confucius Institute will expand our offerings in Chinese
language and culture, both on campus and in the community,” said
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Joan Lorden. “We
look forward to the opportunities for unique cultural programming,
study abroad and collaborative research that this new partnership will
bring to Charlotte.”
UNC Charlotte will establish the Confucius Institute within the
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences in the Department of Languages
and Culture Studies. UNC Charlotte is partnering with Shanxi
University, a comprehensive university of arts and sciences located in
Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.
“We see a growing demand for Chinese language instruction and
cultural activities to better understand China, improve bilateral relations
and better prepare students for future opportunities and challenges,”
said College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean Nancy Gutierrez.
“We anticipate the Confucius Institute will work with Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools and other schools in the region to help students
be better equipped to succeed in an increasingly globalized world.”
Chinese instructors from Shanxi University would act as teaching assistants
Confucius
Institute
Broadens
University’s
Global Reach
Nonprofit will expand
educational, cultural options
By Ly n n R o b e r s o n
26 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
at local K-12 schools, with supervision by the local schools.
Initial plans call for the public to be able to take advantage
of community offerings, which could include conversation
hours, films, seminars, lectures and artistic performances.
“Our partnership will also allow us to help organizations
and businesses improve their international knowledge and gain
greater access to Chinese language and cultural instruction,”
Gutierrez said. “We anticipate offering educational courses to
businesses, providing Chinese language testing and developing
training courses for local school teachers.”
Long-term goals include potentially connecting UNC
Charlotte students with Chinese scholarships for short-term
or long-term study abroad programs in China and offering
students from Shanxi University the opportunity to study at
UNC Charlotte through selected collaborative agreements.
Meeting the needs of the broader community is critical,
Gutierrez said. The Chinese population in the Charlotte
region has shown significant growth with a 168 percent
rise in population between 2000 and 2014. Local schools
have responded with Chinese language classes, and the
Carolinas Chinese Chamber of Commerce in 2015 led a
40-representative delegation from the Carolinas for a two-week
business trip to China to explore potential collaborations.
Another trip is planned for 2017.
Two directors – one from UNC Charlotte and one from
Shanxi University – will manage the Confucius Institute and
report to a Board of Directors to be chaired by Gutierrez.
The board will include Lorden, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois,
Assistant Provost for International Programs Joël Gallegos and
other campus, community and Chinese leaders.
The University hosted a grand opening ceremony
Wednesday, March 29, in Cone University Center, McKnight
Hall, to celebrate the partnership.
Nonprofit Confucius Institutes operate with support
from a host university and from Hanban, also known as
the Office of Chinese Language Council International
(CLCI), a Chinese Ministry of Education subsidiary. UNC
Charlotte and Hanban will share in the funding of the
Confucius Institute.
There are more than 100 Confucius Institutes in the United
States, including ones at North Carolina State University, the
University of South Carolina, the University of Maryland and
Michigan State University.
Lynn Roberson is director of communication for the College of
Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Provost Joan Lorden (seated, right) presided over agreements to create a Confucius Institute at UNC Charlotte. The
institute will help organizations and businesses gain greater access to Chinese language and cultural instruction.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 27
[ cente r stage ]
1
3
Picture This
The evolution of UNC Charlotte’s campus continues this
year as several new facilities and memorable spaces begin
to take shape.
University Recreation Center
The University Recreation Center will rise at Cameron
Boulevard and Craver Road, beside the Popp Martin
Student Union.
Some of the highlighted spaces in the facility include:
n Indoor pool with zero depth entry, lap swim area, space
for hydro fitness classes and leisure pool activities.
n Four multi-purpose courts for a variety of open play and
structured rec activities.
n A variety of strength and cardiovascular training
opportunities are offered at multiple levels throughout
the facility.
n Multi-purpose studios for Group Fitness activities
including Cycling, Zumba, Yoga, high intensity training
classes and many more.
n Locker rooms with private showers and changing areas
n Administrative offices for Recreational Services,
which will allow for one-stop service for
recreation-related needs.
Counseling Center
A new Counseling Center (top, right), slated to open next
August, will serve students who are seeking counseling
services at an increasing rate. Located adjacent to the
existing Student Health Center, the new building also will
allow closer collaboration with the Student Health Center
and the Center for Wellness Promotion.
Belk Plaza
The revitalized Belk Plaza will begin taking shape in June.
An oval-shaped great lawn, adorned with a raised-rock
fountain will provide opportunities for people to gather,
along with spaces for activities. This view looks toward the
Willingham Building, with Rowe to the right. Robinson Hall
for the Performing Arts appears in the rear.
1
2
3
28 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ cente r stage ]
2
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTE magazine 29
[ feature ]
3 Colleges,
1 Community
Collaboration
By M e l b a N ews o m e
Three UNC Charlotte colleges have formed an
interdisciplinary partnership to confront a growing but
largely unmet need in the Charlotte community.
Faculty members and students from the Cato College
of Education, College of Health and Human Services and
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are working with the
Camino Community Center’s Bethesda Health Center to
provide a community-based mental health improvement
program for low-income and immigrant families. It is the first
such initiative in the country and has become a national model
for other colleges and universities.
When Daniel Gutierrez arrived at UNC Charlotte in
2014, he quickly realized that Charlotte’s fast-growing Latino
University Steps
Up to Aid People
with Mental
Healt h Neds
Camino Community Center
in Charlotte’s University City
neighborhood provides health
and social support to low-income,
uninsured people in
Mecklenburg County.
Daniel
Gutierrez
30 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ Feature ]
community had a high uninsured rate and was
in dire need of mental health care. An assistant
professor of counseling, Gutierrez approached
his research mentor, Mark DeHaven, the Dean
Colvard Distinguished Professor in the College
of Health and Human Services, about finding
a way to bridge this widening mental health
gulf for the area’s immigrant community.
DeHaven also serves as director of the
Academy for Research on Community Health,
Engagement and Services, which uses action
or community-based participatory research
(CBPR) to improve health in vulnerable
communities, while simultaneously building a
“communiversity” to support its students. “The
first principle of CBPR is working with the
community; the second is the expectation of a
long-term commitment there,” said DeHaven.
Marshaling Resources
Having worked with Camino and Bethesda,
a collaborative of health and welfare volunteers
serving Mecklenburg’s uninsured population,
DeHaven knew that the lack of mental health
care was a significant issue he believed could be
addressed by marshaling resources from across
the University.
“We saw a substantial unmet need in
Charlotte and wanted to do something about
it,” said Gutierrez. “By 2050, about 30 percent
of the population will be Hispanic or Latino
but, even though they have the same pathology
as everyone else, they are the second-least likely
to access mental health services.”
When Gutierrez and DeHaven visited the
clinic, Executive Director Wendy Pascual
explained that she had 85 people waiting for
mental health care. “Many have experienced
or witnessed severe trauma such as war,
physical and sexual violence or prolonged
exposure to verbal and emotional abuse,”
explained Pascual.
While many of the patients come to the
TOP: Camino Community Center is a
free health clinic that provides adult
primary care, diabetes and hypertension
management, and health education
programs.
BELO W: UNC Charlotte provided healthy
snacks to Camino clients as part of a 2015
free health risk-screening event.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 31
[ feature ]
free clinic seeking care for ailments such as
diabetes or high blood pressure, some also
exhibit undiagnosed forms of depression
and mental trauma. These emotional issues
make it more difficult to effectively treat
their physical health problems. “At one
point, about 85 percent of the folks in this
community were experiencing some level of
depression, high levels of anxiety and then
high levels of trauma,” noted Gutierrez.
Within two months, DeHaven and
Gutierrez had joined forces with Amy
Peterman, associate professor in the
Department of Psychological Science, and
School of Social Work clinician Roger Suclupe.
What emerged was a unique community
partnership. Each college now uses its expertise
to enhance their students’ cultural competence,
carry out the University’s community service
mission and reduce the clinic’s growing backlog
of mental health patients.
“My students are training in the
biopsychosocial model, the interaction of
biological, psychological and social factors
that affect health and illness,” said Peterman.
“We place students at many sites but this is a
practicum opportunity where Spanish-speaking
students can provide therapy in Spanish and
work with that population.”
Determining how people flow into the
program and what services will be available
falls into the domain of public health at the
College of Health and Human Services. A
public health doctoral student developed flow
algorithms and procedures as well as oversees
the evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.
“By 2050, about 30 percent of the
population will be Hispanic or Latino
but, even though they have the same
pathology as everyone else, they are
the second-least likely to access
mental health services.”
Graduate students from the UNC Charlotte College of Health and Human Services administer free health risk screenings to Camino clients.
The screenings included a lifestyle questionnaire, body composition, blood pressure, blood lipid profile, and blood sugar measurements.
32 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ Feature ]
Social work students aid patients with a wide
range of needs, such as assisting with food,
veterans’ benefits and housing needs.
Handling Cases
Suclupe provides clinical oversight for
some of the counseling students working with
Spanish-speaking clients. “We staff cases like
a clinical supervisor, discussing difficulties the
student counselor may have, treatment plans
and the needs of the community/patient,”
he said. “We want students to connect with
and provide support for a community that
has a limited availability of resources. We talk
a lot about these problems, but we’re doing
something about them for the first time.”
During the pilot phase, 80 people with
mental health needs went through the
program. Seventy percent of them completed
it, a dramatically high rate given that, generally,
only 20 to 30 percent of such patients tend to
finish prescribed sessions.
While some people have expressed concern
that these services are being provided by
students, DeHaven is quick to point out that
this same model is used in academia all across
the country. “Students are very capable of
delivering high quality care,” he said. “When
you seek care at any of the country’s leading
academic health centers, you’re being treated
by medical students and residents under the
direction of an attending physician. This is
no different.”
Counseling, social work and health
psychology had not worked together
previously, primarily because of their different
missions and approaches. However, these
programs in their respective colleges set
aside any rivalries and/or separate descriptive
approaches to find a common, workable
solution to a looming crisis.
“At the root of all three colleges is the
desire to be part of the caring professions, to
restore people to health and wholeness,” said
DeHaven. “There is this tremendous emphasis
on accentuating the differences, but when
we focus on what unites us instead of the
ways we’re different, we can really accomplish
something good.”
Noted Pascual, “The mental health program
helps our patients with quality of life. It lets
them know there are others who can support
them and that others suffer from mental health
issues, too.”
Camino Community Center has served more than 3,500 patients and provided health fairs
as well as more than 8,500 doctor visits since it opened its doors in 2004.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTE magazine 33
[ FEATURE ]
Much of Niner Nation knows UNC Charlotte
senior Larry Ogunjobi from his impressive career
as a defensive lineman for the Charlotte 49ers
football team — as well they should. He’s the only active
player to start all 46 games in the program’s history, and
he’s the team’s career leader in tackles (212), tackles for loss
(49) and sacks (13).
Yet, summarizing Ogunjobi’s career only by the work
he’s accomplished in Jerry Richardson Stadium would be
capturing only half the story. For as great as Ogunjobi was
on the football field, his academic prowess was equally
noteworthy — which says a lot since he could become the
first player in program history selected in the NFL draft, to
be held April 27-29.
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Ogunjobi is driven by
his constant desire to excel. “For me, I always want to be
the best, so I asked myself why I couldn’t be really good
in the classroom and really good on the football field,”
he said. “I never wanted to put myself in a box, so as a
student-athlete, I focused on being the best student and
athlete I could be.”
Because of his affinity for computers, Ogunjobi majored
in computer science with a concentration in computing
systems. He earned that degree in December. He also is
working on a biology degree, following in the footsteps of
his mother and father who work in the medical field. He
Compute This!
49ers football standout Larry Ogunjobi excels in the classroom, eyes NFL draft
By C l a r k C u r t i s
Larry Ogunjobi, a first
generation American,
earned a computer
science major while
also becoming a star
collegiate football
player. At press time,
Ogunjibi was expected
to be selected in the
NFL draft.
34 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ FEATURE ]
“He selected one of the most demanding concentrations within
the computer science degree program and completed
all requirements on time, with hard work and integrity.”
may finish that after what he hopes is a “long” pro football career.
“Occasionally, universities are suspected to be ‘diploma
mills’ for members of sports teams,” said Bojan Cukic,
chair of the Department of Computer Science. “As a result,
students like Larry feel additional burden about their scholarly
performance. He selected one of the most demanding
concentrations within the computer science degree program
and completed all requirements on time, with hard work and
integrity. While I wish him a long NFL career, he will have great
career opportunities as a computer science graduate.”
For Ogunjobi, that sharp contrast is what makes him so
unusual. It’s what makes him who he is — a college graduate
with one degree, another degree possible and a passion for
football. A passion he hopes might land him in the NFL, but if
not, Ogunjobi will be just fine.
“I’m really proud of Larry and how he handled himself in all
aspects of his collegiate career — athletically, academically (and)
as a team leader and cornerstone,” said Brad Lambert, the 49ers
head football coach.
“He worked extremely hard to make himself a really strong
player,” Lambert continues. “He’s been a very productive
player for us over our last four years. He helped lay the
foundation for us, along with the rest of the senior class. His
work ethic, specifically, has really helped elevate our football
program. He’s been a rock in building this program, and that’s
set us up for good things in the future. He’s everything you
want in a student-athlete.”
Clark Curtis is director of communications in the College of Computing
and Informatics.
Larry Ogunjobi
excelled on the
football field for the
Charlotte 49ers,
and in the computer
science program,
with guidance from
Bojan Cukic, chair of
the Department of
Computer Science.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 35
[ Featu r e ]
By Pa u l N ow e l l
Bank of America is committing $1.5
million to the Exponential Campaign
to support research at UNC Charlotte
in the Data Science Initiative and to sponsor a
series of marquee lectures at the University.
The donation establishes an endowed
fund supporting the Data Science Initiative
and creates an Endowed Chair in Security
Analytics, which positions UNC Charlotte at
the center of the data analytics revolution.
The endowed chair position will also
strengthen the leadership and impact of
UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte region
within the North Carolina Data Science
initiative. Research in security analytics
will create synergies within the College of
Computing and Informatics’ existing strengths
in the Center of Configuration Analytics and
Automation, and Charlotte Visualization
Center, as well as UNC Charlotte’s campus-wide
Data Science Initiative.
“Bank of America is pleased to build upon
its longstanding partnership with UNC
Charlotte,” said Bank of America Charlotte
Market President Charles Bowman. “The
University is central to Charlotte’s role as a hub
for innovation, a center for civic engagement,
and a region focused on leading the way in
information technology.”
In honor of the gift, UNC Charlotte has
named the atrium of the UNC Charlotte
Center City for Bank of America.
Educational programs in security analytics
will help address the severe talent shortage in
this field by educating the next generation of
strategic thinkers, thought leaders, and security
professionals to make risk-based decisions
using data-driven evidence, deep technical
knowledge, and the ability to take proactive
security actions.
Data science is designed to help businesses
Cathy Bessant and Kathy Reichs engaged the audience in a lively conversation at the gift announcement held at UNC Charlotte Center City.
Bank of America makes
generous gift to EXPONENTIAL
36 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
and governments alike make responsible
decisions about and protect rising amounts of
individual information. The discipline of data
science combines aspects of computer science,
modeling, applied mathematics and statistics.
UNC Charlotte is surrounded by top
financial services, energy, retail sales and
distribution, advanced manufacturing, and
technology companies that provide an ideal
environment to utilize a suite of skills only an
urban research university can accommodate.
“I think UNC Charlotte is really unsung
but an incredible data science and engineering
hub,” said Cathy Bessant, Bank of America
chief operations and technology officer.
“Even if we weren’t located in Charlotte, we
would work aggressively with UNC Charlotte
because the talent and the energy they put
behind (the data science program) puts them
at the forefront of some of this thinking. We
have some of the best professors in the world
in informatics.”
A portion of the gift will sponsor the UNC
Charlotte Civic Series presented by Bank
of America, which includes three marquee
lectures: The Chancellor’s Speaker Series,
the Barnhardt Seminar on Ethics, and the
TIAA Lecture.
“Bank of America has been a steadfast
partner to UNC Charlotte in so many ways for
almost 50 years, with volunteer participation
on the Board of Trustees, endowed
professorships and support for the creation and
implementation of the Applied Technology
Program,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois.
“We are excited that Bank of America is
once again expanding its partnership with
the University to support the Data Science
Initiative, along with a series of important
public lecture events. We are very appreciative
that we enjoy the continuing confidence of the
bank’s leadership in the work of our faculty,
staff and students.”
The Chancellor’s Speaker Series celebrates
the University’s role as our region’s thought
leader and brings nationally renowned speakers
to the area to speak on current issues.
The Barnhardt Seminar on Ethics is forum
for discussion on business realities and their
ethical implications for society. Attendees
are business professionals, community
leaders, and UNC Charlotte faculty, staff,
and students.
The TIAA Lecture is an endowed lecture
and hosts distinguished and notable speakers
on a variety of topics.
To showcase the caliber of the Civic Series,
the University hosted a program featuring
a discussion between noted author, forensic
anthropologist and professor Kathy Reichs
and Bank of America Chief Operations and
Technology Officer Cathy Bessant at the UNC
Charlotte Center City.
Reichs is as a professor in the Anthropology
Department at UNC Charlotte. She also is
the producer of the television series “Bones,”
which is based on her work and novels.
[ Featu r e ]
Applied Technology Program students enjoy the gift announcement reception in the newly
named second floor Bank of America Atrium at UNC Charlotte Center City.
The gift announcement drew a large crowd, including (from left) UNC Charlotte Board
of Trustees Chair Joe Price, Vice Chancellor and Provost Joan Lorden, alumnus and
Exponential Campaign Chair Gene Johnson and Bank of America’s Julie Harris.
“Even if we weren’t located in Charlotte, we would work aggressively
with UNC Charlotte because the talent and energy they put behind
(the data science program) puts them at the forefront of some of this thinking.”
— Cathy Bessant
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 37
Julia Lopez (’14)
After graduating from UNC Charlotte in
December 2014 with bachelor’s degrees in
economics, English and political science,
Julia Lopez served as an intern for U.S.
Rep. Alma Adams (N.C. 12th District).
One of her first assignments was to assist in
creating a Small Business Symposium where
entrepreneurs and small business owners
could learn how to grow and obtain access
to capital.
The education she received at UNC
Charlotte helped her succeed at her
internship and aided her in gaining a full-
[ PROFILE ]
Public
Service
Passion
Many UNC Charlotte alumni serve in public office
on city, county, state and national levels. Some
were elected, while others were appointed or hired
in support positions. UNC Charlotte students are
following in their footsteps. Here are stories of two
recent graduates and two current students who are
taking advantage of internship opportunities and other
programs to pursue their passion for public service.
Internships in Politics
Lead to Great Experiences,
Career Opportunities
H H H H H H H
Julia Lopez (left) was on campus
recently, touring the PORTAL facility.
She is pictured here with (from
left) Ventureprise President Paul
Wetenhall, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams,
Vice Chancellor Robert Wilhelm and
Henry Rock, Founder and Executive
Director of City Startup Labs.
“If a constituent
in our district
has an issue
with a federal
agency, it is my
job to correspond
with the agency
and help the
constituent find
a solution.”
— Julia Lopez
By J e n n i f e r H ow e
38 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ P r o f i l e ]
time position serving as a district liaison for
the congresswoman.
“My UNC Charlotte education definitely
helped me learn how to write and think
critically — two skills that have been invaluable
working in public service,” Lopez said.
In her current role, Lopez maintains
relationships between Adams and constituents
within the district. It is her responsibility to know
the state of the district with regard to such issues
as small businesses, immigration and hunger
initiatives, to name a few. The information she
gathers allows Adams to know which topics she
needs to address on Capitol Hill.
“If a constituent in our district has an
issue with a federal agency, it is my job to
correspond with the agency and help the
constituent find a solution,” Lopez said. “If
a disabled veteran is having issues receiving
benefits, I would contact the Department of
Veteran Affairs on behalf of the constituent.”
Getting involved with government and
public service was something Lopez had
envisioned for herself. She enjoys helping
people and advocating for their rights. One
memorable assignment involved assisting
Adams in the struggle to prevent a teenager
from being deported.
“When he was captured by ICE
(Immigration and Customs Enforcement), he
was barely 19 and was in detention for over
eight months,” said Lopez, who visited him in
the detention center. “He was escaping threats
from gangs in El Salvador that endangered his
life. This kid had no criminal record and was a
good student at his school, but had to drop out
because of rumors that they were picking up
kids to be deported back to Central America.”
The case allowed her to experience how the
immigration process works. Her team worked
hard in Washington, D.C., and in Charlotte to
contact the Department of Homeland Security,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and
ICE to keep the teenager in Charlotte. While
the outcome wasn’t what Lopez hoped for —
the teen was deported back to El Salvador —
the experience solidified that public service was
the field for her.
Lopez advises current UNC Charlotte
students who are contemplating a career in
public service to secure an internship while in
school and to find their own niche.
“Network, network, network,” Lopez said.
“Attend community events and volunteer. You
never know who you will meet. Eat breakfast
and always keep a blazer in your car.”
Bailey Russell
Three days after finishing exams last May,
Bailey Russell moved to Raleigh, North
Carolina, to begin her internship in the office
of N.C. Rep. Jason Saine (’95). The political
science and economics major, who is minoring
in legal studies, had to get situated quickly
in her new city. The short session of the state
legislature had already begun.
In landing the internship, Russell followed
her mother’s suggestion to contact her
hometown representative’s office (District
97). Her mom had grown up with Saine in
Lincolnton, North Carolina, and both families
had attended the same church at one time.
While talking with him on the phone, Bailey
discovered that they had both served on the
same student government committee at UNC
Charlotte, though years apart.
Her student government background
came in handy while working in Raleigh.
“My experience writing legislation in student
government was extremely helpful,” she said.
“Student government prepared me to know
how to communicate with different people
and how to disagree with others’ political
opinions gracefully.”
The assignments she worked on during the
summer internship varied. Her favorite projects
were the ones that dealt with her hometown of
Denver, North Carolina, along with those that
affected UNC Charlotte. “I loved whenever
legislation was dealing with something I could
H H H H H H H Bailey Russell (center)
interned with another
Lincolnton native and UNC
Charlotte alumnus, N.C. Rep.
Jason Saine. She is pictured
here with (from left) alums
N.C. Rep. Bill Brawley, former
Rep. Mike Hager, Saine and
Chancellor Dubois.
“Student
government
prepared me to
know how to
comunicate
with diferent
people and how
to disagree
with others’
political opinions
gracefully.”
— Bailey Russell
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 39
[ PROFILE ]
relate to,” Russell said. “It was unreal to receive
emails regarding legislation and house bills from
names I knew and recognized personally.”
She appreciated the number of UNC
Charlotte alumni and administrators she met
during her internship. They included Rep. Bill
Brawley (’78), co-chair of the House Finance
Committee, and Mike Hager (’87), now a former
representative and majority leader. She also had
the opportunity to speak with Chancellor Philip
L. Dubois on one of his visits to Raleigh and to
spend time with Betty Doster, special assistant
to the chancellor, who explained which pieces
of legislation would affect UNC Charlotte
and the other colleges and universities in the
UNC system.
Vincent Cahill
In fall 2015, junior chemistry, economics and
political science major Vincent Cahill was
selected as an Andrew Goodman Foundation
Vote Everywhere Ambassador. In this role,
he helps college students develop strategic
organizing skills while advocating for their
community’s voting and civil rights. Student
ambassadors receive a stipend, activities budget
and ongoing mentorship, support and training
from the foundation’s staff and network of social-change
leaders.
As an ambassador, Cahill educates his peers at
UNC Charlotte on the importance of exercising
their right to vote. Working alongside the UNC
Charlotte 49er Democracy Experience — a team
of expert faculty, civic-minded students and
community partners who support understanding
and participating in the nation’s democratic
process — Cahill helped register more than 750
students to vote prior to the March 2016 North
Carolina primary.
“The experience demonstrated the degree to
which the University and the administration
support its students’ endeavors,” said Cahill.
“Our student team received so much advice and
guidance from faculty, staff and administration
members, and our efforts were greatly bolstered
by their presence.”
The main goal for the 2016 fall semester was
to ensure that local and state election boards
would select UNC Charlotte as an early voting
location. Cahill felt that bringing a polling place
to campus would increase access for students and
inspire a heightened sense of civic engagement.
He worked with the 49er Democracy Experience
and the Division of University Advancement to
secure the selection, which ultimately resulted
in approximately 8,500 voters casting ballots on
the UNC Charlotte campus in the November
general election.
Before ballots were cast, the 49er Democracy
H H H H H H H H H H H H H
“Our student
team received
so much advice
and guidance
from faculty,
staf and
administration
members, and
our eforts
were greatly
bolstered by
their presence.”
— Vincent Cahill
Vincent Cahill (second from left
in photo) served as an Andrew
Goodman Foundation Vote
Everywhere Ambassador. He
educates his UNC Charlotte peers
on the importance of exercising
their right to vote.
40 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ P ROFILE ]
H H H H H H H
“Working for
Congressman
Hudson has
been one of
the most
rewarding
opportunities
of my life.”
— Regi Simpson
Regi Simpson (left)
secured an internship
and then a staff position
with fellow alumnus U.S.
Rep. Richard Hudson,
after she served as
president of the UNC
Charlotte College
Republicans.
Experience orchestrated faculty-moderated, pre-debate
discussions and hosted debate-watch parties.
Cahill was encouraged by his fellow students’
excitement as they packed into the Popp Martin
Student Union Movie Theater, filling every seat
and creating makeshift spots on the ground to
participate in the watch parties.
“I quickly learned that our work was most
effective when we engaged with students who
are similarly passionate about contributing to
a more engaged campus climate,” said Cahill.
“It took a lot of practice for our team, but
understanding how to effectively build diverse,
productive coalitions was one of the most critical
components of our advocacy.”
The ambassadorship will end upon graduation
(May 2017); it has been one of the highlights
of Cahill’s collegiate experience — one he won’t
forget when he goes to work as a litigation legal
assistant with the New York law office of Davis
Polk & Wardell.
“My time as a Vote Everywhere Ambassador has
confirmed the personal satisfaction that I feel when
I help an individual register to vote or direct them
towards a polling location,” Cahill said. “I truly
enjoy this aspect of civic engagement, and I expect
to continue this work for the rest of my life.”
Regi Simpson (’13)
When Richard Hudson (’96) announced his race
to represent North Carolina’s 8th Congressional
District, Regi Simpson was serving as president of
the UNC Charlotte College Republicans. Soon
after, she secured an internship on his campaign
and worked hard to get the former UNC Charlotte
student body president elected through the
primary, run-off and general elections.
“Once elected congressman, Rep. Hudson
asked if I would be interested joining his Concord
district office as an intern,” said Simpson. “I
happily accepted.”
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in
political science in May 2013, she became the staff
assistant in Hudson’s Washington, D.C., office and
by February 2014 was promoted to scheduler. In
this role, she handled meeting details, briefings,
events and travel for Hudson. She also briefed him
on scheduling activities and acted as a liaison with
staff, committees, constituents and government
officials. In July 2015, she became Hudson’s
executive assistant.
“Working for Congressman Hudson has been
one of the most rewarding opportunities of my
life,” she said.
In January 2016, Simpson moved on to become
assistant to Rob Engstrom, senior vice president
and national political director at the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce, the world’s largest business
organization by membership. The U.S. Chamber
represents more than three million business
members of all sizes, sectors and regions.
“Our job is to serve as a voice for the
business community in Washington, D.C.,”
said Simpson. “We support the free enterprise
system and advocate for business-friendly policies
that encourage job creation, economic growth
and relieve regulatory burdens faced by our
business community.”
Working in the Political Affairs and Federation
Relations Department, she helps elect candidates
(incumbents and challengers) to the U.S. House of
Representatives and U.S. Senate who will support
pro-business policies.
The road of public service is not easy, Simpson
noted, but it’s important. Her core values help guide
her through challenging times, and the educational
foundation she received at UNC Charlotte shapes
her cognitive skills. “Each individual has the
opportunity to be a positive influence and ensure
the world is a better place after they have made their
imprint,” she said.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 41
[ Memorial ]
Loy H. Witherspoon, professor emeritus
of philosophy and religious studies
at UNC Charlotte and a longtime
confidant to University founder Bonnie Cone,
died on Jan. 15, in his Charlotte home.
The founding chair of the Department
of Religious Studies, Witherspoon retired in
1994 after 30 years of distinguished service at
the University. For more than a decade after
his retirement, he continued to teach at UNC
Charlotte, and he remained active in a range of
community and academic service projects.
“Loy was truly a legendary teacher and a
mentor to his colleagues and scores of students,
and he was one of the most active members of
the campus community,” said UNC Charlotte
Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, who had known
Witherspoon since the early 1990s when
Dubois was UNC Charlotte’s provost. “He was
a much-loved colleague who always had time
and a kind word for anyone. Lisa and I will miss
him very much.”
The Loy H. Witherspoon Lecture in
Religious Studies began in 1984 in honor of his
20th anniversary, and is now the University’s
oldest and most prestigious endowed lecture
series. The 33rd annual event was held Feb.
6 on the topic of “Neighboring Faiths: Jews,
Christians and Muslims.”
At an unveiling of Witherspoon’s portrait
in the Harris Alumni Center at Johnson Glen,
Dubois recalled when Cone “recruited Loy
Witherspoon, she was looking for a builder –
and a builder she got.”
Cone assigned him the tasks of building
programs in philosophy and religious studies.
She also asked him to create an organization
to coordinate the work of campus chaplains
and student religious organizations. The
new organization was called the Office of
Religious Affairs.
A 1969 recipient of the University’s
highest recognition for teaching, the Bank
of America Award for Teaching Excellence,
Witherspoon was described as a great teacher,
caring counselor, skilled ombudsman, host,
patron, politician, public relations practitioner
and troubleshooter. Witherspoon also served
as college chaplain and on practically every
University committee.
Under his leadership, the Department of
Religious Studies grew from a handful of courses
to a full-fledged degree program. Witherspoon
also was instrumental in establishing campus
In Memory of Loy Witherspoon,
Renowned Scholar, Mentor
Loy Witherspoon beams as
his portrait is unveiled by
Angie Gay (right) and the
artist, Jamie Lee McMahan.
42 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ Memorial ]
governance. He was the first chairperson of the
University Senate, twice served as president of
the faculty and was University marshal from
1988 to 1993.
“Loy Witherspoon embodied the values and
aspirations of UNC Charlotte,” said Nancy
Gutierrez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts &
Sciences. “All of his efforts have gone to creating
the University of the future. The University
of the 1960s and 1970s was a pretty small,
parochial kind of place. Yet, in his mind, Loy
never worked in that small place. He always has
had ambitions for UNC Charlotte, and so his
work even in the early days was predicated on its
becoming the great institution it is today.”
As the first chair of the Department of
Philosophy and Religion when it formed in
1964, Witherspoon created a lasting foundation
that allowed both disciplines to flourish,
Gutierrez said. He also served as the first chair
of the independent Department of Religious
Studies when it formed in 1972.
“He was instrumental in bringing endowed
professorships to the University,” Gutierrez
said. “The University’s first named, endowed
lecture series bears his name. Hundreds of Loy’s
friends, colleagues and former students showed
their love and respect for Loy by creating the
fund in his honor in 1984, and he faithfully
continued to support and attend these
important community lectures.
“Witherspoon showed his dedication to
students in deep, lasting ways,” she said.
“He was the mentor and supporter of many
students. He brought the fraternity system here
and was a mentor to those students and sent
them off into the world prepared as scholars
and as people. He was this amazing teacher.
He had a vision, but he was also very practical.
Sometimes he gave students money out of his
pocket. He gave scholarships. He was always
interested in the physical and spiritual well-being
of the students.”
Gutierrez counts Witherspoon as a mentor
and inspiration. “I am so glad I had the
opportunity to know him,” she said. “If there
is nothing else I have gained from moving to
UNC Charlotte, knowing Loy Witherspoon is
one of my greatest personal benefits.”
After, his retirement Witherspoon remained
engaged with the University and the awards and
accolades continued to come.
In 2001, he received the Distinguished
Service Award from the UNC Charlotte Board
of Trustees. That same year, the University
chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha, for which he had
served as faculty adviser, endowed a scholarship
that bears his name for a religious studies major.
The Loy H. Witherspoon Greek Alumni
Scholarship was established in 2012 to honor
the work done by Witherspoon to establish
the current Greek system at the University.
It is used to provide scholarship assistance to
undergraduate members of UNC Charlotte
fraternities or sororities.
The Loy Witherspoon Distinguished Service
Award, is presented annually by the Cooperative
Christian Ministry. The 2016 award was given
to Elizabeth Hardin, vice chancellor for business
affairs. She serves as a board member and
campus advisor for the ministry, which is known
as Niner United at UNC Charlotte.
Witherspoon received the Alumni Association’s
Distinguished Faculty Award in 1993 and
the Alumni by Choice Award (now called
the Honorary Alumnus(na) Award in 1995.
Witherspoon Hall, a 420-bed residence facility,
opened in 1990 and has long been the home for
students in the University’s honors program.
Witherspoon, who also was an ordained
minister in the United Methodist Church,
earned his bachelor and divinity degrees from
Duke University and his doctorate from
Boston University.
Witherspoon grew up in Winston-
Salem in the Methodist Children’s Home
after both his parents died when he
was a small child. Following his Duke
education, Witherspoon went to teach
philosophy and religion at the American
University in Cairo, Egypt. There he
met his lifelong friend and companion,
William Pfischner, M.D.
“He always has had ambitions for UNC Charlotte, and
so his work even in the early days was predicated on
its becoming the great institution it is today.”
Nancy Gutierrez, dean, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Loy Witherspoon (front, center) inspired long-lasting bonds with former students. Here he is
joined by (front row, from left) Pat Palmquist, Greg Ross, David Ravin and (top row, from left)
Mark Joyce, Michael Wilson, David Gay, Jack Stack, Scott Boulware and Kevin McLemore.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 43
[ P r o f i l e ]
In 2007, Arthur Jackson was appointed
UNC Charlotte’s vice chancellor for student
affairs. During his tenure, he has provided
leadership to improve retention, graduation
rates, diversity and the University’s response to
First Amendment issues of demonstrations on
campus and elsewhere. He also has served as an
associate graduate professor of education.
After 10 years as vice chancellor, Jackson is
retiring this summer.
A career administrator at colleges and
universities from Virginia to Massachusetts, Jackson
came to UNC Charlotte with a proven record
of accomplishment in counseling, admissions,
financial aid and student affairs. He connects with
students and top administrators alike.
Jackson also has been a professor in
multicultural education and higher education
administration for the past 24 years. He has
lectured at Brown University, Springfield
College, Central Connecticut State University,
Cornell University and the University
of Maryland.
He has served as the North Carolina
state director for Region III for the National
Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Jackson was awarded the Distinguished
Accomplishment Award and Pillar of the
Profession honor by this organization. He is
a member of Rotary Club International, the
Golden Key Honor Society and Kappa Alpha
Psi fraternity.
Jackson recently sat down with University
Communications writer Paul Nowell to reflect
on his decade of service at UNC Charlotte and
to look to the future.
So when do you officially retire?
Officially, my last day is sometime in July
2017, but I plan to stay on for about a week
The Art of
Student Afairs
Jackson reflects on 10 years as a leader, vice chancellor
By Pa u l N ow e l l
After 10 years as
vice chancellor for
Student Affairs, Arthur
Jackson looks forward
to retirement as a
snowbird, splitting time
between Charlotte and
Massachusetts.
44 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Winter/Spring 2017
[ P r o f i l e ]
to transition with the new person. It really
depends on their schedule and obligations. In
my own case, I was not able to come here until
August due to previous commitments.
What significant changes have occurred
during your 10 years as vice chancellor for
student affairs?
I think Student Affairs has always been an
excellent division. It had not changed much in
the last 20 years. So when I came in, I found
some efficiencies to streamline the division.
It has actually gotten bigger, added resources,
people and programs to it. I tried to make it
more administratively logical, with less silos in
the division so everyone had a better chance to
communicate and work with each other.”
Do you think folks on campus and off
campus are aware of what is being done
in your division?
We were ahead of the curve in areas such
as housing, student judicial affairs, suicide
prevention and programs on financial literacy
that people are just starting to address now. The
whole First Amendment rights situation led
to the creation of the Demonstration Activity
Response Team (DART). I wanted to give my
staff more flexibility to do things to benefit the
division and the University, as long as they were
cost efficient. I tried to allow people to come up
with new programs and ideas to improve the
whole institution.
I think we can see efforts are working to
improve retention and the graduation rate
has improved. These important measures of
student success have gone up every year, and
we in Student Affairs contribute greatly to
that success. Students who have a low level of
involvement and satisfaction tend to leave the
University. I tried to identify channels of success
to come up with ways to limit student attrition.
How did DART come about?
Like many Charlotte institutions, we
had our own First Amendment issues. We
wanted to be more organized about this so
we could be more productive. We started by
looking at what other universities were doing
with best practices, and we found similar
efforts were underway at other schools. We
wanted to establish protocols and procedures.
I wanted to have a protocol to follow so we
can adapt to different activities. When we see
things occurring like a (police) shooting right
off campus and demonstrations in Uptown
Charlotte that caused a lot of damage, we
already had it in place.
The Dean of Students Office and I
recommended starting DART last summer.
I had noticed that at every conference I
attended, civility was the No. 1 or 2 issue that
was on the minds of my peers. Some other
universities had experienced student protests
last year and the year before. So DART
helps to open the lines of communication
with students, faculty and staff and to let the
University audience know what is occurring. If
you think about parents living 200 miles away,
they don’t know if these protests are happening
outside the gates of the campus, on campus or
eight miles away in Uptown Charlotte.
Would you list DART as one of your
top accomplishments?
My top accomplishment is the role in the
roughly $500 million in capital construction
projects on campus since I came here. Some
of the buildings that I have been involved in
are the (Popp Martin) Student Union, the new
Counseling Center, the Belk Gym renovation
and the new Health and Wellness Center. We
have built and renovated numerous residence
halls, such as Levine Hall.
This movement will continue for the next
five years. Other accomplishments are the
improvements to our retention and graduation
levels. They have gone up several percentage
points every year. We have done things like
“We are doing the right things, but I think we still are not
where we should be. Part of areas where I take a lot of pride
in is in the evolution of diversity programs, most of these
are done by Student Afairs and Academic Afairs.”
Among many accomplishments during his tenure as vice chancellor, Art Jackson cites the
creation of the Demonstration Activity Response Team, which engages with groups that
plan to hold protests and other demonstrations, in order to ensure First Amendment rights
in a civil atmosphere.
Winter/Spring 2017 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 45
streamlining the withdrawal process. This
gives students other options before they do
withdraw. We have been able to convince some
students not to withdraw. It is all about student
success, trying to help them to graduate.
I have also emphasized fundraising for the
division. We now have a gift officer, and this has
helped us to increase our development efforts.
How would you describe your
leadership style?
I feel that I am a delegating leader. Someone
told me a long time ago that your career will
be determined by the people you hire. So I try
to hire people that are smarter than me in their
areas of expertise and are hardworking people.
People who are not willing to put in long hours
won’t last long here.
I started out as a counselor, and I worked
my way up the ladder. I did not magically
appear as a vice chancellor. I worked as a
financial aid director, an academic counselor
and an assistant director in admissions.
A lot of my work ethic comes from my
family and especially my mother. She worked
in a factory, got her degree and became a
guidance counselor. I have a working-class
mentality in that I know the success of an
organization depends on all the individuals
working in it. Everyone on my staff is
a professional, and I expect them to act
appropriately because we depend on all those
functions to succeed as a university.
I have been known to come in two days
before school with a broom if a residence hall
is not ready. I try to be a role model and am
willing to work as long as needed to get things
done. However, we work together. We work as
a team, not as individuals.
Describe the current state of Student
Affairs at UNC Charlotte?
We are doing the right things, but I think
we still are not where we should be. Part of
areas where I take a lot of pride in is in the
evolution of diversity programs, most of these
are done by Student Affairs and Academic
Affairs. We have improved greatly. We have
dialogues to improve diversity and created the
Latino Student Services programs. These were
not in existence when I started here. We also
have the Veteran Student Services Office and
the Jamil Niner Student Pantry.
I believe North Carolina still has a long
way to go when it comes to diversity. Coming
from Massachusetts — this came as a surprise
to me. Sometimes I think we have become
more resistant to change in North Carolina.
We need to adapt to those changes in a
progressive and methodical way.
Charlotte and UNC Charlotte are more
progressive than the rest of the state. Colleges
and universities are the leaders for change in
America. We must be in the forefront of areas
such as technology and scientific advances. We
are supposed to be educating our students to
be leaders in North Carolina and the world.
Our goal is that we should not to be satisfied
with how it is, but how it should be.
You are still a young person;
why retire now?
I have put my heart and soul here for 10
years. I had not intended to stay at UNC
Charlotte for that long. However, my family
and I think this is the best institution I have
ever worked in. It is very collegial and inclusive.
Working with Chancellor (Philip L.) Dubois has
been an excellent opportunity for me to improve
myself as a professional and as a person. It is why
I came here. This place was really evolving and
making the transition to a research university.
We are hopefully going to be at the highest
Carnegie level of research very soon. After 10
years, besides wanting to spend more time with
my family, I hope to be teaching part-time in
the Cato College of Education.
I think it is time for a rejuvenation of
the vision and the mission of the division.
You have to change to keep up with your
counterparts. You also need to refresh your
image to continue to be relevant. Besides,
my grandkids and my wife have been putting
more demands on me. I will be a snowbird,
spending some time in Charlotte and
in Massachusetts.
Transition is good for an organization. It’s
important to leave an institution in better
shape than when you first came. I think I made
incremental improvements to help the division
and the University. I also hope that I have laid
a strong